I Have GhostPowers!
by Airame Phantom
Summary: Danny Fenton and Sam Manson are all grownup and have a daughter and a son. But what happens when their thirteen year old daughter, Alice Lilith Fenton, starts getting strange dreams right after her thirteenth birthday? What do they mean?
1. Prologue

Typos are normal and you'll probably see quite a few. Some of the more common are when I try to spell Hand, And, anything ending in 'ing', her, she, the, and so on. Well, now for the disclaimer!

Danny Phantom, Sam Manson, and so on do not belong to me. They belong to Butch Hartman. But the following do belong to me: Alice Lilith Fenton, Andrew James Fenton, and any power you read that Danny or Vlad do not have in the show. Those belong to me! So you can't steal! So there! Okay, now on with the story!

* * *

I Have Ghost Powers!

Part One

Something's Wrong Here

* * *

Ah. The life of adult Danny Fenton hasn't changed very much. Most ghosts have learned to stay in the Ghost Zone, but every now and then one would escape. Then it would be Danny Phantom's job to put them back. His parents still didn't know his secret and they had actually agreed to going to California for a permanent vacation. Since then, Danny ahs lived in FentonWorks with his wife. His wife, obviously, is named Samantha Manson. But if you call her Samantha, she'll still beat you up. And it's not 'Manson' it's 'Fenton' thank you very much. 

They have been married for almost fifteen years now. And they have a daughter named Alice Lilith Fenton who is thirteen and a son named Andrew James Fenton who is ten.

Alice is a head-strong girl just like her mother. She's also a recyclo-vegetarian and is all about Goth. Some may also call her 'Emo,' but she could care less. She loves to write poetry and her electric blue eyes are often clouded with thought. Her long, black hair is always let down, falling in her face from time to time. She wears blue jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt with a short-sleeve black shirt on top of that. This was her style along with the fish-net, fingerless gloves on her hand that were purple. She was a tom-boy, in case you haven't noticed, and can take down any guy twice her size. But she chooses not to. Go figure...

Andrew James Fenton is your average stubborn ten-year-old. As Sam says, he's just like his father. He has, also, electric blue eyes. They are darker and more vivid than Alice's, though. They often have a twinkle of mischief in them too. The only smile that's really on this boy's face is one of pure mischief and mystery. He's also head-strong and will stand up for anyone in need. Just like his father indeed. He wears a green, longs-sleeve shirt that has 'GX Explorer' on each sleeve. His blue jeans usually have grass-stains at the knees, but he doesn't care.

Sam and Danny have changed very little. Danny still is strong-willed and tough to beat down and Sam is still a unique individual, something she's not willing to give up. Though I must say, Danny has gotten a bit stronger. There's more muscle on those bones as Sam would say. The difference is not big, but it doesn't have to be. All four of them live in FentonWorks, though Sam did try to convince Danny that living somewhere with a ghostportal was a bad idea. Danny wouldn't hear it. It was always closed so they had nothing to fear. Besides, everything was secured.

Well, if only the portal was their only problem...


	2. You Read Her Diary?

Alice Lilith Fenton woke up from sleep with a start. She bolted up into sitting position, heart racing and breath quickened. She swallowed, putting a hand to her forehead. She was burning. "Oh, godd," she mumbled, letting herself fall back down onto her pillow. Her breathing slowed and her heart did too. She glared at her ceiling.

This had been happening for nearly a whole week now. Her birthday had been a week ago, actually, and that's when it started happening. She'd been having nightmares of strange beings that couldn't be alive. They would beckon her on, forward towards a figure she did not recognize. He looked like a teenager, a year or so older than her. He had ebony black hair that fell over his eyes at times. He wore blue jeans and a red and white T-shirt. He looked almost familiar but she couldn't place that face. Then he changed. It was the same boy, but different. His hair turned white and his blue eyes green. His clothes changed into a black and white jump-suit. And his voice. It was what got her the most. It sounded so familiar. That's when she would wake up. He would start to tell her something, but then she would be knocked out of sleep before he could tell her.

Alice sighed and got up. It was only eight o'clock in the morning, but she couldn't fall back to sleep after that. She tore off her pajamas and put on her regular clothes. "Time for breakfast," she mumbled, brushing her hair quickly and going out the door. Her parents were usually awake by now so they would be enough company for now. Besides, her brother, Andrew, would definitely not be a good person to talk to.

She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Morning, guys," she said, seeing her parents sitting at the table, Danny sipping coffee and Sam drinking from a mug of hot chocolate.

"Morning, sweetie," Sam said.

"'Sup," Danny mumbled. Even his vocabulary hadn't changed much. It got on Alice's nerves, but her friends seemed to enjoy talking to him.

"Dad, please don't talk like that," she whined, making her way towards the refrigerator and opening the door.

"Talking how?" Danny asked then, looking up from the cup of coffee on the table.

"Dad, you try to be all cool and stuff without even knowing it!" Alice exclaimed, currently annoyed.

Danny looked at her blankly. "Alice," he started, "I'm not trying to be cool. You know me. I don't mess with you, and we live in peace. But you always seem to be correcting the way I am!"

"But you're so..." Alice started, getting really annoyed now. "Ugh! Just leave me alone. I'll be in my room."

With that said, Alice stormed out the kitchen and back up the stairs. Sam turned to Danny, a slight look of concern on her face. Danny looked at her and sighed. "What's on your mind?" he asked, sensing her worry.

Sam licked her lips and looked at her cup of hot chocolate. "Danny," she said. "I know I did wrong by doing so, but I stumbled upon Alice's diary while looking for dirty laundry. It fell open and, well, I couldn't help myself..."

Danny stared blankly at her. "You read her diary?' he asked then, a bit shocked to hear this.

"Yes, but, Danny, it worries me even more," Sam said, reaching out and taking Danny's hand between her own. "In it she wrote she's been having strange dreams concerning beings that seemed strangely familiar and don't seem alive."

"Ghosts," Danny said automatically. Sam nodded feebly. "But how...? Why...?"

"Danny, I don't know," Sam said. "I do know she sees you in her dreams though..."

"What?" Danny hissed quietly. Sam nodded.

"In one entry, she describes the figure as a boy with dark, black hair and blue eyes. He's wearing a white and red Tee and blue jeans," Sam said. "Then she says that he changes. His clothes change to black and white. Sound familiar?"

Danny sighed, bemused. Why would she be seeing him, as a teenager, in her dreams? Why can't he sense her with his ghost sense if what Sam is implying is that Alice might have ghost powers? Why is he asking himself all these questions. "Sam, if you think she developed powers after thirteen years of absolutely no signs of it, you're crazy," he said.

"Why is it so hard to believe?' Sam asked. "We talked about his before. If one of our children should develop powers, we were going to tell them about yours."

"But I never thought one would! Alice might not have them," he said. "We have yet to see."

"But if she does," Sam said, looking at him in the eye. "If she does have them, will you stay true to your word?"

Danny looked at her. He hated it when she got like that. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Fine," he said. "I promise.

"Good, now go upstairs and talk to her," Sam instructed. Danny's jaw dropped.

"That wasn't part of the plan!" he exclaimed.

"Is now, so go!" Sam said, waving him off. Danny shook his head and stood, walking out the kitchen and up the stairs.

"She is so not getting an anniversary present," he mumbled as he went. We went down the hall towards what used to be his room. It was now Alice's and totally redecorated. The NASA posters that used to litter the walls were now replaced by band posters of Trapt, The Used, System Of A Down, and many more. He paused at the door, rehearsing in his mind what he was going to say. It shouldn't be too hard since he could always just say he came up to tell her to put the music down. She was just like her mother. When she wanted to listen to music, she put the volume all the way up. At this point, the song Aerials by System Of A Down was playing. This was one of her favorite songs by them.

Danny knocked with one hand while the other wrapped around the handle of the door. "Alice," he called. No reply. He sighed, opening the door. He saw her, lying on her bed on her stomach, legs criss-crossed in the air. She was bobbing her head ever so slightly to the music. She had a sketchpad in front of her and a pencil in one hand while another rested behind her ear, tugging back her ebony black hair. Yet another pencil was tucked between her lips. No wonder all her pencils had teeth marks on them.

Danny knocked again, louder. Alice nearly jumped, turning around quickly onto her back, propped on her elbows, pencils falling from every location. Her eyes were wide in alert and her mouth slightly open. "Dad!" she exclaimed, the frightened expression turning to one of slight annoyance.


	3. Curse?

a/n: Yay! Chapter 2! Well, three if you count the prologue. It's not too long, but that's jsut me. Well, have fun reading!

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Alice turned off the music at the sight of her dad. "Hi," Danny said, entering through the door and coming to sit next to her. Alice had sat up, hiding her sketchpad beneath her pillow. "What you got there?" Danny asked then. 

Alice looked at him with strange anger in her eyes. "Nothing that concerns you," she said coldly.

"Gee, sorry I asked," Danny mumbled. He looked around at the room. Everything was entirely different. His gaze fell onto Alice's computer. She's gotten his computer since it was nearly new because he stopped using it soon after his parents had gotten it for him. It was currently turned off.

"Dad, what do you want?" Alice asked, standing and cutting off his view of the room. Danny looked at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest, a slight pouty-angry expression on her face.

He sighed and stood. "Alice," he started, standing and walking past her. He put his hands in his jeans pockets. I guess his wardrobe was part of what had changed about him. Now he wore blue jeans and a button-up shirt that was red and white over a white T-shirt. Not much of a difference, but still different. "Alice, I just wanted you to know that I know you don't like me very much. And I think I might get on your nerves sometimes."

"You have no idea," Alice mumbled, plopping herself onto her bed.

Danny turned to her slightly. "Well, Al, I guess I owe you an apology. I'll try not to be too much of a immature teenager, and I want you to know that that's just my job: to embarrass the pretty little girl called daughter Alice."

The slight compliment made Alice laugh silently. "Thanks, Dad," she said. "Anything else?"

"There's a condition so don't thank me just yet," Danny said, wagging a finger Alice slightly. Alice waited to hear what he would say. "Alice, you've been acting a little strange since your birthday, and you're making your mom get worried. Alice, I want you to be honest with me, what's wrong?"

Alice hesitated. There were times when she thought she could tell her dad anything. But this, this was not something he would understand. She knew he wouldn't understand. "Dad, I'm fine," she said. She saw a slight knowing look in her father's eyes when he nodded slightly.

"Okay," he said quietly. "Well, I'll be going now. Why don't you go to the park later? It's sure to be a great day to go. Besides, when was the last time you went out with your friends? Uhm...what are their names?"

"Jeanette and Jonathan, Dad," Alice said, rolling her eyes slightly. "And Yeah, I think I will. But later."

"You don't have to take your brother, but I think it may be a good idea," Danny said then.

"I'll think about it," Alice said. Danny laughed slightly.

"Make sure you do, well, later," he said and walked out the door.

Once he'd gone, Alice collapsed onto her bed, shaking ehr head. "He did _not _say 'later'!" She laughed.

Outside, Danny was listening, ear pressed against the door. He smiled, hearing her laugh. "I hope you don't have to face this curse," he mumbled, then walked back down the stairs to talk to Sam.

Somewhere else, across the hall, someone was listening. "Curse?" the vocie whispered. Frightened, dark blue eyes twinkled with slight fright.


	4. Promise Me You'll Take Care of Her

A/N: Fourth chapter! YAY! Come on, be happy! Thank you for those who reviewed. Even if they weren't too many people. Ah well. Can't really expect much in only one day!Well, I hope this isgood enough for you and I hope I don't make too many typos --'

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Danny walked over to Sam in the kitchen. She was stirring the hot chocolate in her cup with a teaspoon nervously. Hearing him walk in, she quickly stood. "So?" she asked, hoping for a good response. 

"She said she was okay," Danny mumbled sitting down back into his seat. Sam sat down slowly, thinking.

"But..." she mumbled, thinking. She sighed. "What was she doing when you went up there?"

"She was sketching something," Danny said, deep in his own thoughts. "She wouldn't let me see it though."

Sam thought for a second, silent. Danny waited for a response, a sign that she was still totally conscious of all this. She finally looked up. "Danny, maybe if we do tell her about it," she started, but Danny stood, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Sam," he complained. Sam stood too.

"But, Danny, maybe she just doesn't-"

"Sam!" Danny cut her short. He looked at her. She looked startled, afraid, worried. "Sam, listen to me. She said she's okay and I believe her. I never told my parents anything and I'm still okay."

"But, Danny, she could get into trouble," Sam said.

"When don't _I _get in trouble?" Danny said, a slight smile on his face. Sam looked at him.

"Fine, but can you make me just one more promise?" she asked.

"Hit me with it," Danny said, crossing his arms over his chest slightly.

"Take care of her. Make any excuse necessary, just make sure she's okay," Sam said. Danny hesitated a moment.

"I will," he said.

"Thank you," Sam said, walking up to him and giving a great hug, pressing the side of her face to his chest. Danny held her too. "If she does have them," she mumbled. "You'll help her, right?"

"Count on it," Danny mumbled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alice was in her room, music turned back up and pencils back in place. She continued her sketch of the boy in her dreams, it coming out better than she had expected. One of her friends, Jonathan, a boy with dark brown hair and sparkling hazel brown eyes, was all about the past and stuff. He had newspapers inside his locker about all sorts of past events and the like. He had a whole binder filled with even more articles he couldn't fit in his locker. Alice wanted to see if he could identify this person she'd been seeing. 

She hoped he would. The boy looked so familiar, but she still couldn't place him. If Jonathan didn't know, then she would have to look elsewhere. The boy seemed familair, so she must have seen him somewhere. Maybe in an old photo album? She shrugged that thought away. Why would he be in one of their family albums? That's pretty dumb.

She sighed, looking at the sketch again. It looked almost exactly like him. The same way he'd appeared in her dreams. In her sketch, he was wearing his other clothes. The ones that were black and white. She thought the other clothes would be too common and undistinguishable. She shaded it a little more and then set it off. "I'd better go call Jonathan and Jeanette," she mumbled and stood, leaving the sketch on her desktop.

Once she'd walked out of her room, a mischievious little boy took his chance and scrambled in there. His blue eys were gleaming with slight joy. _This should be fun_, he thought. His eyes scanned the room for anything that could give him a clue about whatever the 'curse' was. His eyes landed on the sketchpad on the bed. He wlaked over, sitting down and grabbing. "Ooh," he cooed, looking at it. "Wonder who this guy is."

"None of your business!" came the voice of Alice. He turned, alarmed. "Give me that you little twerp!" She walked towards him and snatched away the book from his hands, angry.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, standing, hands balled into fists. "Mom says it's not polite to snatch!"

"Since when do you care about manners?" Alice retorted. "Going through my stuff without permission. Just get out already, Andrew!"

The boy did so. "Fine, but if you die because of the curse, I won't care!" With that said, he stormed out the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Stupid," Alcie mumbled. She looked at her sketch. "What curse, there's no curse." But the thought lingered. Andrew couldn't have thought that up by himself. Something must have led him on to thinking there was a curse. Worst yet, a curse that could kill. _There's no curse, _Alice scolded. _Andrew's stupid, you know it. _She hadn't called Jonathan or Jeanette yet. She'd abandoned going to the phone when she heard soft footsteps. As much stealth as Andrew had, he would never get away from her keen senses. Nothing got past her, nothing.

She sighed, plopping herself down on her bed. "There's no curse," she mumbled to herself, looking at the sketch still. "But then, where'd he get the idea from? It couldn't have been an overactive imagination, could it? He couldn't ahve made that up even if he had an overly active imagination. But there's no other logical reason for him to say something like that. Unless it's true. But it can't be true."

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End Note: I liked this chapter personally. Hope you liked it! Remember, I'll often up-date, so be at the ready! Well, later! Please review! 

--Airamé Phantom


	5. It's Him! It's Him!

A/N: Fifth chapter(is that how you spell fifth?)! YAY! Come on, be happy! Thank you for those who reviewed. Even if they weren't too many people. Ah well. Can't really expect much in only one day! Well, I hope this is good enough for you and I hope I don't make too many typos

* * *

Alice had decided not to dwell on her brother's rude instrusion and went back down the stairs to call up her friends. Surely they could console her. She knew she couldn't go to her parents. They would probably only say her brother is lying and that she has nothing to worry about. Obvious. She made sure to take her sketchpad with her incase Andrew would try anything. 

Picking up the phone, she punched in Jonathan's number and waited for him to pick up. To tell the truth, it was also Jeanette's number since they were twins. The Myst Twins to be exact. They were quite the team. Jeanette was the serious type, always wanting everything to be in perfect control. She had sparkling hazel eyes and brown hair just like her brother and was usually seen in a black skirt with a purple T-shirt that said 'Back Off" on the front and "Better Believe It" on the back.

Her brother was a little on the clumsy side. His eyes were hazel and his hair dark brown. He was always making jokes and was sometimes a little hard to take serious. He was usually seen in blue jeans or khaki color cargo shorts with a black T-shirt that had a 'J for Jerk' logo on it. He loved that shirt for somr reason. Not even his sister knew why, he just did. He was really sweet and his big hazel eyes only made him a little more adorable. Alice thought he was great to be around with, but he sometimes made things seem like such a big deal it was annoying. But you get used to it.

The phone was picked up at the other end after only the third ring. It was Jonathan. "Hello?" he answered sleepily. Alice looked at the clock. 9:10 A.M.

"Hey, it's me, Alice," she answered back. "Did I wake you up or something?"

"No, I was just bored because Jeanette is trying to explain to me the periodic table."

"Should I even wonder why?" Alice asked.

"Trust me, don't ask! So what's up?"

"I wanted to check out all the newspapers you have. Mind meeting me at the park later so I can?"

"Sure, no prob, should I bring Jeanette along?"

"As if she won't come anyway!" Alice said, laughing slightly. Jonathan laughed at the other end as well.

"Okay, meet you there in twenty?"

"Deal, see you then," Alice said. Jonathan said bye and she hung up the phone. She got up and rushed up the stairs to get her shoes. Putting them on, she rushed back down the stairs, shouting out to her parents all the while. "Mom! Dad! I'm going to the park!" she shouted, reaching the door.

"Where?" Danny asked, peeking out the kitchen.

"Park with Jeanette and Jonathan," Alice said quickly, going out the door.

Danny followed after her and she jumped over the steps of the porch. "For how long!" he shouted after her.

"I'll be fine, bye, Dad!" Alice shouted, waving as she ran for the park, sketchpad in hand.

* * *

At the park, later on that day, Alice was looking through the binder filled with old newspaper articles, each in perfect condition. Jonathan and Jeanette were looking at the sketch. "He does look familair," Jonathan mumbled, handing it back to Alice.

"I know, but I don't know why," she mumbled.

"Have you asked your parents?" Jeanette asked. "Maybe it was a relative we've met of yours or something."

"Doubt it, besides, they'd just ask questions," Alice mumbled, flipping through a few more pages. "They wouldn't understand." Jeanette grimaced, really thinking she should ask her parents.

Alice stumbled upon an article reading: 'Inviso-Bill States His Name!' It continued on to say:

_After a few days of ghostly captivity, Amity Park was rescued by our very own Inviso-Bill. He, on the other hand, was reluctant to accept any gratitude for he vanished before we could give him any. He did, however, state that his name was not Inviso-Bill but Danny Phantom, or just plain Phantom. Turns out our little ghostboy is actually the hero of our town! We wish his luck on the next battle versus evil!_

After that was a picture of the boy, Phantom, in flight. "That's him!" she exclaimed. "It's him, it's him!" She showed her friends, putting her sketch next to the picture.

"You're right it is," Jonathan said, not believing his eyes.

"Imagine the chances," Jeanette mumbled.

"But what does it mean?" Jonathan asked. The Twins had a habit of talking along the same line and seemingly completing each other's thoughts.

Alice looked at the pictures, the name, the details. "I don't know," she mumbled. "But if I ask around for this Danny Phantom guy, I'm sure I'll get my answer."

As the teens talked, a figure far off smirked slightly. "So, the father has not yet explained his title," the figure said in an evil-sounding voice. "All in good time, and all in good word." The figure laughed evilly at his inside joke. Who is this guy?

* * *

End Note: I wonder if anyone will figure out who this mysterious figure is? Hmmm...

--Airamé Phantom


	6. It Was My Idea! I mean, My Fault

A/N: Sixth (is that how you spell sixth? I need a dictionary!) chapter! Is everyone happy about that? Yeah, I've been focusing on my other fic for a while because I'm trying to catch that one up to this one! Well, hope you're happy, here's the sixth chapter! OH! And I totally forgot to inform you guys: Alice was skipped up a grade. So instead of being in eighth, she's in ninth. Jeanette and Jonathan are both a year older than her! So they DO go to Casper High!

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"How are you going to research this guy, though?" Jeanette asked then. Alice brushed a few locks of hair behind her ear and thought for a second. 

"Internet," she mumbled.

"You could look up the title Inviso-Bill," Jonathan stated.

"Thanks Mr. Point-Out-The-Obvious," Jeanette laughed. Jonathan nudged her playfully in the ribs.

"Hey, Jonathan, are there any more articles on this guy?" Alice asked then, breaking up the slight feud between the two twins. Jonathan looked at her, thinking.

"I think I do," he said. "They're in my locker though."

"There's no way we can get them now?"

"Nope, unless you know someone who can break into the school security system," Jonathan said. Alice thought for a second, wondering. She was pretty sure she did know someone like that.

"Only the best in the business after his father," she said slyly. Jonathan and Jeanette shared an uncertain glance. They knew exactly who she was talking about. They looked back at her, their expressions still slightly uncertain.

"Joseph," all three teens chorused, as if on cue.

* * *

"Why'd you guys bring me in to do your dirty work?" asked a slightly short African American kid. He was about three years younger than all of them. He had short, tightly-cut black hair and dark skin. He wore a blue shirt and dull-green colored cargo pants and brownish combat boots to match. In Jeanette's words: total fashion disaster. 

The trio of friends were standing behind him in his room as he searched the web for some information on this 'Phantom' kid. So far nothing had come up.

"Because I heard your father used to be the best around and taught you everything he knew," Alice said.

"You're just trying to butter me up," the boy said.

"Of course, is it working?' Alice asked. The boy turned to them on his roller chair.

"I need the dets'," he said.

"Dets'?" Jeanette asked.

"Details," Alice translated. She turned back to him. "After this, if we can't find any info, then we need you to help us break into the school so Jonathan can get out the newspaper articles."

"Break into Casper High, huh, never tried it before," he said.

"Joseph, you were skipped three full grades, I totally know you can do it," Alice said. Joseph is really only about eleven years old. He's also in the ninth grade though he should actually be in the sixth. He was skipped through the first, second, and third grades. Imagine being, not only the youngest, but the shortest kid in high school!

Joseph leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers against each other. He looked at Jeanette, Jonathan, then Alice. "Fine," he said, nodding slightly. The trio all shared a happy glance. "But," Joseph's word broke the shift from anxious to happiness. He held one finger in the air. "But you need to promise me something," he said.

"Anything," Jeanette said.

"Cool, because what I want is to be part of this team," he said. They all looked at him blankly. "If you guys find some connection between this Phantom kid and Alice, I want to be a part of whatever comes next."

"Consider it done," Jonathan said.

"Okay, well, we're all going to meet at Casper High at twenty-two hundred sharp, are we understood?" Joseph asked.

"Twenty-two hundred? But my watch only has twelve hours," Jonathan said, tapping his watch with his index finger.

"Jonathan, that's military time for ten at night," Jeanette said, exasperated.

"Oh, I knew that!" Jonathan said.

"Sure you did," Alice mumbled. She looked back at Joseph. "Just to make sure you don't bail on us, I know you never go back on your word." She held out a hand to Joseph.

Joseph took it, shaking it slightly. "You have my word," he said. Alice nodded and pulled away. "At the main entrance, ten sharp," Joseph repeated. "I'll see you all there." The trio nodded and made their way out the room, each sliding their hands down the banister of the stairs as they went down them. Joseph's parents weren't home. He wasn't usually alone in the house, but when he was he hardly ever left his room. That's just how the kid was. A strange techno-geek with a knack for making complicated, hard-to-understand, technological pranks on people. But everyone knew he never went back on his word. Never.

* * *

E/N: I have no comment on this chapter. I like it, but I guess only I understand Joseph. Oh, and whoever is the first to tell me who Joseph's dad is gets to be mentioned on the next chapter! (I know all of you must know by now!) Also, whoever can tell me who this kid reminds you of- when I said he never comes out of his room and stuff- also gets mentioned!

--Airamé Phantom


	7. Why Do You Cry?

A/N: Well, many people got it that Tucker is Joseph's dad, but no one got the part about who was a slight spark into making Joseph's personality. Well, his personality about not leaving his room. The person who was slight spark for that was Wade from Kim Possible(not one of my favorite shows). The first person to tell me the answer to who was Joseph's dad was phantomschica. YAY YOU! Also, congrats to the others who also got it right! Here's the next chapter!

* * *

Alice returned home and found her stinky little brother sitting on the couch watching TV. He was currently flipping through channels. "About time!" he exclaimed. 

"Shut up, twerp," Alice snapped, making her way up the stairs.

"Alice? Is that you?" called the voice of her mother.

"Yes, mom," Alice called, stopping at the foot of the stairs.

"Are you going to eat dinner?" Sam asked then, coming out the kitchen. "Made a veggie burger just for you."

"No thanks, I'm not very hungry," Alice said. "I'm just gonna do my homework and go to sleep."

"I know that excuse," Danny said, suddenly coming out of the kitchen as well and standing next to Sam. "What are you planning, missy?"

"Nothing," Alice said. Fortunately for Alice, she hadn't inherited Danny's nervous nature. She'd inherited her mom's totally cool, uncaring nature.

"Oh, Danny, just because you used to sneak out of your house doesn't mean Alice will," Sam pointed out, looking at Danny. Alice caught sight of her brother smirking slightly. She made a face at him and looked back at her parents.

"Can I go now?" she asked.

"Sure, dear," Sam said, and walked back into the kitchen with Danny. Alice quickly made her way upstairs, little Andrew not so far behind. Alice had just tossed herself onto her bed when Andrew opened the door to her room.

"Andrew, get out!" she shouted, throwing a pillow at him.

Andrew dodged quickly. Another thing he'd inherited from Danny: fast reflexes. "No," he stated firmly. "What are you gonna do later? I know you're planning something."

"Yeah, and I'm planning on not telling you, now get out!" Alice exclaimed.

"I'm gonna tell dad!" Andrew shouted, pointing a finger at her. Alice scowled.

"You'd better not," Alice said, baring her teeth slightly just to frighten the child.

"Watch me!" Andrew said. He put both hands around his mouth like a mega-phone and was about to shout. Alice, not knowing exactly how it happened, found herself putting a hand over Andrew's mouth before he could even get the word out. Not to mention little Andrew was at least four yards away! She didn't dwell on that though, merely focused on the little rascal.

"Okay, okay," Alice said, taking her hands off his mouth when he seemed to have started to look for her foot so he could bring his heal down on it _-_ hard. Karate classes, go figure. He'd dropped out because there wasn't enough 'action' in it for him. She closed the door to her room and looked down at the boy. "What do I have to do to get you to not tell me parents?" she asked him.

"Easy, just tell me and I'll think about it," Andrew said, crossing his arms and giving his famous side-grin with a tint of mischief.

"You'd better not, or else," Alice said. Andrew looked at her, not backing down. But...But he could have sworn. No, impossible! But... He could have sworn her eyes seemed to grow darker, almost the color sapphire. He blinked, thinking maybe it was just his imagination. In the split-second blink, the slight gesture was gone and Alice had crossed her arms, looking at him. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Andrew said quickly. "And, uhm, it's okay, you don't have to tell me, I won' tell mom or dad either." He quickly made his way out of her room and ran to his own, leaving behind a slightly bewildered Alice.

"That's weird," she mumbled, but made nothing of it.

Andrew, however, was a little frightened. In his room, he quickly tossed himself onto his bed, huddling up against the headboard, pulling his knees up to his chin. "It's the curse, she's gonna get me," he mumbled. "She's gonna kill me, then go after mom and dad..." He felt warm tears swell in his eyes, him trying hard to hold them back. He buried his face in his knees, afraid.

"Why do you cry?" came the slightly hoarse voice. Andrew nearly jumped at the new sound, but instead merely looked up, scanning over the figure. The easiest way to describe him was scary.

He wiped away the tears forming in his eyes and scooted over to the edge of the bed. He looked at the figured.

"Because of the curse," he spilled, not caring that the figure was a stranger.

"Do you want to help your sister?" the figured asked then, red eyes gleaming slightly. Andrew nodded, not noticing the gesture. "Tell her to go to the park tomorrow at exactly ten o'clock in the morning. Tell her to come alone, okay? And I promise she'll be okay." With that said, the figured vanished. At that very moment, as well, Danny burst through the door.

"Andrew," he exclaimed, coming over to make sure his son was okay. Andrew looked at his dad. He had wiped away the tears so well, they were barely noticeable now.

"Dad! You're_-_" Andrew didn't finished the sentence. The figure had appeared at the window, putting a finger to his lips.

"I'm what, Andrew," Danny asked, kneeling slightly to be able to look at his son directly.

"Dad, I love you!" Andrew said instead, wrapping his arms around his father's neck. Danny blinked, surprised by the sudden hug.

"I love you too, son," he mumbled, trying to figure this out. He pulled away, looking at his son. "Are you okay, Andrew?"

Andrew nodded excitedly. "A-OK!" he said, holing up an okay sign by making his index and thumb fingers into a circle and putting up the rest of his fingers.

"Good," Danny said. " Good."

* * *

E/N: Who can tell me who the figure is again and tell me why Danny suddenly burst into the room and why Alice's eyes changed color? Whoever tells me gets their name on the next chapter too! Man, it's late, 8:50 to be exact. Well, it's late in Mother Hours, but whatever, I gotta go just the same! Tomorrow I'll try to up-date! BYE!

--Airamé Phantom


	8. I Need A Sign

A/N: Well, many people got the answers, but the first person to say the answer to the question of why Danny burst into the room was Rebecca the Animorph. The person to answer all of the questions was Pharaonin. Congrats! Well, a lot of other people also got the answers correct, but they were the firsts! Well, one with the chapter!

* * *

"Well, I'll be downstairs, okay?" Danny said, standing. Andrew nodded, a slight smile lighting on his face. Danny hesitated a second before leaving, but did so. He closed the door behind him. Outside, Sam waited. 

"Anything?" she asked. Danny shook his head.

"Andrew's fine," he mumbled. "There was no ghost in there. I don't get it. My ghost sense has never failed me before." Sam looked at him, then looked at Alice's door. Danny followed her gaze and sighed. He walked over to Sam and hugged her.

"Sam, Alice is okay, I sensed the ghost in Andrew's room, not Alice's," he said. Sam sighed, laying her head on his chest.

"Danny, I just don't know what to think anymore," she mumbled. Danny sighed as well, thinking.

_I need a sign, any type of confirmation, please, _he thought. As if he expected someone to answer his prayer, but the last thing he wanted was for either Alice of Andrew to have to face the burden of having ghost powers. It wasn't something you could just live with. He'd faced dozens of strange beings_** -**_ ghosts** _-_** that have kept him from enjoying the time he had with his friends, family, loved ones. Before, he would sometimes disappear without being able to tell anyone; it worried both him and Sam. He sometimes feared he might not come back. But, after making a second truce with some of the ghosts, the attacks decreased and he had a more normal life. If only it could have stayed that way.

The screen flickered, static overcame the happy picture. A figured drummed his fingers on the control panel of the screen, watching. "This little, happy moment, will be over soon," he mumbled, his voice cold and hoarse. He hit the screen, setting the picture back to normality. He looked at the other screens. One screen showed waves of sound coming from Alice's room. This figure had implanted a hearing device in Alice's room while everyone was out of the house. He'd been monitoring sound waves ever since. He grinned slightly at the sound of her. She was mumbling a few incoherent words, the slight sound of music in the background.

He looked at another screen, one with a view of the kitchen. This guy had nearly every room of that house wired. On his many visits, he'd implanted miniature cameras that were barely visible to the naked eye. He'd put them on the general areas: living room, kitchen, and the lab. He'd installed listening devices in the rooms as well. In addition, he'd even installed a few things to the ghost portal so he'd know every time someone opened it for any reason. So far no one had figured out any of it, and he planned for it to remain that way.

He continued to drum his fingers, observing the screens, grinning to himself a slightly fanged-smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at FentonWorks, Alice was back in her room, totally oblivious to all that was happening. She was listening to music, lying on her back on her bed, eyes closed, arms behind her head, and one leg crossed over the other, pulled up slightly. "I will forgive, but I won't forget. And I hope you know, you lost my respect," she sang, the words slightly slurred because she was mumbling. 

She opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling. It was only twelve-thirty. She still had to wait nearly ten hours to go to Casper High and get those darn newspapers. She sighed and looked at her stereo. Her favorite song was playing, why couldn't she just listen and forget everything? Grimacing slightly, she sat up, looking around her, looking at the posters, every detail. Why did this place suddenly seem too different? As if something had changed? Ever since the dreams started, she'd been having different views of everything.

For example, at school they had just made a new debate team and she used to be so good at it. Now, however, every time she tried to score one for her team, she always ended up saying something like "Well, they do have a point" and "I'm sorry, but I have no comment." She was no longer herself, and everyone on the team was noticing. But she had no reason for it other than she had been having all the weird dreams every night for seven nights in a row.

Sighing, Alice scooted to the edge of the bed and just sat that for a second, thinking. She decided a nap was in order. Besides, she had a long night ahead. She grabbed the remote to her stereo and turned off the music. She stretched and yawned slightly. She lied back down and made herself comfortable. A few hours of sleep should do her some good.

* * *

Back with Joseph, little Joseph was doing some extra research on-line. What about, who knows. What I will tell you is that if he's studying to be some sort of physician, he'll be perfect for the job. On the screen of his computer were complicated formulas. He read them over again and again to make sure they were correct. Turning his roller chair so he'd be facing another table with beakers of a powder-like substance, liquid, and what seemed to be an empty pill-capsule. 

He held the liquid up to the light and looked at it. With his other hand he wrote something down on a notepad that was next to him. He scribbled down a few letters and numbers. What is he doing?

* * *

E/N: I like this chapter. It's short, but totally...informative in a way. Hope you all know how to read between the lines! 

--Airamé Phantom


	9. I Give You My Word

A/N: On with the chapter!

* * *

_Where am I? _

_Don't worry, you're safe, but not for long._

_Alice walks down a path to the same boy she's always seen. His gentle blue eyes seeming to pull her towards him. He looks so calm, so gentle. Alice is afraid he might be unreal, just like everything else in this place. She walks towards him as he holds out his hand._

_Alice, I need you to tell me why you think you're here._

_I don't know. Everything is so strange, and I just don't know anything anymore._

_Think, Alice, what are you feeling?_

_Danger. I feel as if I'm in danger, but of what I don't know. Please, tell me, why are you here? Who are you?_

_Alice, I'm..._

"Hit or miss, fuck a fight, it's time to live your life! Go ahead, I know I'm right. I'm gonna lay it on the line! Put yourself, in my shoes, would you stand up for your rights!"

The music penetrated Alice's dream, causing her bolt straight up at the sound. "Stupid song!" she exclaimed over the music. She grabbed the remote to the stereo and turned it off. "How the fuck did you turn on?' she asked, totally annoyed. She only cussed when she was seriously mad, which was now. She sat in bed, legs over the side, elbows resting on her knees and head in her hands. "I was just about to find out, I was just about to know," she mumbled to herself, trying to calm down. She grabbed the remote and tossed it to one side hard. It broke in half.

Alice blinked. She looked at her hands. That remote couldn't have broken so easily, could it? "What the hell..." she mumbled. She looked back at the remote. It was split in half, the batteries sprawled over the floor. To her surprise, a slight, dark bluish smoke rose from the remote. She stood up slowly, taking a couple of slow steps towards it, afraid. She dropped to her knees, taking the pieces in her hands. The remote's plastic outline was melted slightly, the slight impression of her hand on the side, her fingers. She blinked.

This is impossible, right? This had to be some sort of dream. But...but it was too real to be a dream. She felt she was in danger, she told him that. She told him. At the sound of a knock on the door, she quickly turned to it, then glanced back at the remote and stuffed it beneath her bed, quickly standing.

"Alice?" her dad called. "Are you okay? I heard music, then silence, then a strange sound, everything okay?"

"I'm fine dad," Alice said, quickly taking a look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes landed on the reflection of the digital clock on her side table. Her eyes widened. It was practically 8:12 PM! Less than two hours before the break in to the school was to occur.

"Are you sure?" Danny asked then.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Alice said, looking at her hands. "Just peachy."

"Well, alright. Your mom and I'll be downstairs if you need anything," Danny said.

"Okay!" Alice cried, annoyed now. "Uh...I mean, I'm really okay, dad."

"Okay," Danny said. Alice heard footsteps leading away from the door and she turned back to her digital clock.

"Something weird's going on and I'm gonna find out what it is," she mumbled to herself, walking over to her closet. She opened the door to her closet and looked through the clothes. She took down some black leggings, a black long-sleeve shirt and a black skirt. She walked over to her dresser and opened one of the drawers to pull out a black beanie she never wore.

Taking off her clothes and putting on the new clothes was going to be the easy part. Escaping the house without her parents noticing would be hard. She looked at herself in the mirror, examining the way she looked. Not bad. She pulled her black hair into a ponytail with a green scrunchie.

"Okay, now to plan out what I'm going to do to get out of here without either mom or dad noticing," she mumbled to herself, leaning forward on the dresser. "Come on, you're the genius at planning things out, think."

She sighed, walking back to her bed and sitting down. She wondered how exactly she would do this. She could always sneak out through the window, but that was always dangerous since she's on the second floor. Continuing to think, she laid back onto her bed, putting her arms behind her head and looking at the ceiling.

* * *

"Are you finished?" 

"Yeah, I got them right here."

"Let me see." A black gloved hand took something that looked like a small capped-bottle with writing on a label. Some sort of medicine? The hand connected to an arm, to a shoulder, to atorso, to a neck,to a face. The face, unfortunately, was shrouded in shadows, only his red eyes seeming to gleam with slight joy at what he was holding. "Are you sure they'll work?"

"I'm a genius, if you don't trust me, whatever," said the younger child. The other figure looked at him, then back at the bottle in his hands.

"Fine, but if they do not work-" the younger child did not let him finish.

"I give you my word," he said, holding up his right hand. A slight smile lit up on the other figure's lips, a cold, ominous, fanged smile.

"And I believe you will keep it, but trust me, my boy, you might regret what you're doing," the figure said.

"Hey, I've been in this business for years, I learned to never regret," the younger child said.

The figure watched him as an ominous silence passed. He gripped the bottle tighter in one hand. "Fine, then I shall leave you now, to take care of any other business you have yet to complete."

"Take care," the younger child said and turned back to his computer. The figure vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

E/N: I think I'm speeding. I don't know, but I think it's progressing to fast. What do you think? Sorry I haven't up-dated this story in a long while, but I was busy with the other fic and well, yeah, you get the point! 

--Airamé Phantom


	10. Imagine That Fall!

A/N: On with the chapter!

* * *

Alice was still lying on her bed. She had finally decided that she would sneak out the window. It would be much easier to not get caught. 

Standing, she walked over to her window. Leaning against the frame of the window, she crossed her arms and just looked out. The sun was setting on the horizon, drenching the sky in colors ranging from yellow to red and, in between, from orange to gold. Though she never admitted it, she was a sucker for this type of phenomenon.

However, she couldn't really say she loved it enough to go wild crazy just because she had witnessed the perfect sunset. No. She loved just watching it. Quiet. Silent. Letting it's soothing effect take hold. Making her relax from the day's tension. She loved that.

She stole a glance at her digital clock. 9:22 PM. She sighed. Almost time. She walked over to the backpack carelessly slung onto a hook on her closet door. Digging through the first, small pocket she pulled out the short, thin chain that she always had clipped to her cellular phone. "Time to call up the Myst Detectives," she mumbled to herself. On the chain clipped to her cell, chimed a tiny charm-like item. Except it was a little too big to be a charm for something such as a charm bracelet. This thing was different. It was a simple, green, black, and white swirl that seemed to reflect light when it was hit.

Her father had given it to her when he'd bought her a cell phone at the end of her fifth grade graduation in which she'd delivered a speech to the crowd and had won the Top 10 Student's Award, gaining first place. She was young and stupid, as she usually referred to herself. The only reason she still kept it on the chain was because she'd promise to always keep it with her. And everyone knows she never goes anywhere without her cell phone. If she somehow managed to make it slip her mind, there was sure to be rain that day. Another reason she kept it there, was because her dad had seriously added emphasis when he told her she should always keep it with her. Here's how that memory went down:

**_FLASHBACK:_**

_A younger Alice was walking down and out of the auditorium of Casper Middle School. Yes, the middle school. That was where the graduation had taken place. She was talking with her presently ex-best friend Cynthia Zuniga. They'd been friends since she could remember. Besides, she was the only person who really didn't judge Alice or call her a veggie as others usually did. _

_They were just about to exit the auditorium when Alice caught sight of her parents. They'd been near the back of the auditorium during the ceremony, so she hadn't seen much of them. But just being there meant a lot to her. They were talking about something, them holding young, eight-year-old Andrew by the hand since he seemed to be wanting to get away from them. She smiled slightly._

_"Cynthia, wait here," Alice said. Cynthia isn't very smart, so she'd only gotten a perfect attendance award. Alice, on the other hands, would have had her hands full with awards since she'd gotten on from winning first at a science fair, perfect attendance, honor roll, the spelling bee, Top Ten Students Award, and citizenship award. Trust me, those trophies are bulky. She'd given some to Cynthia to hold since she couldn't possibly hold all of them at once. Now Alice only had on the two Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance medals about her neck and the Top Ten thing in her hands. _

_"Okay, but make sure I don't steal your awards!" Cynthia called after her. Alice waved the statement away and continued on her way towards her parents, her white heels clicking as she did so. _

_"Hey, mom! Dad!" she called. _

_They quickly looked up from the struggling Andrew and smiled at her. "Hey," Danny said. "You did great up there."_

_"Especially the speech. Are you sure you're teacher didn't dictate that to you?" Sam asked sarcastically. It had been Alice's task to think up the beginning speech for the ceremony. She loved to write and her teacher knew it. _

_Alice laughed slightly. "Mom, you do know that thing took me two hours to write, right?" she asked. Sam nodded. _

_"Yeah, I know," Sam said. "You know, I still think you should have dressed up a little more." She surveyed her daughter's clothes closely. She was wearing a baby blue dress and her hair was up in a bundle. _

_"I never thought I'd hear the genuine Samantha Manson say that," Danny had replied rhetorically._

_Sam nudged him gently in the ribs. "This is stupid," Andrew had said sourly. _

_"Don't say that, Andrew," Sam scolded. Andrew pouted. _

_Danny took something out of his pocket, concealing it from Alice's view. _

_"And since we believe you really deserve a special treat after so many awards, I decided to buy you this." He held out a silvery-colored cellular phone. Clearly printed on the front was Cingular Samsung. Also, a tiny charm hung from it as well. Alice was handed the cell phone and she quickly took the charm in her hand, careful not to handle it too badly, fearing her parents might think she didn't like it. It was green, black, and white. A swirl, seemingly. _

_"What's this?" she asked, looking at her dad. _

_"A charm," he said. "Alice, I need you to make sure you've got this charm with you as much as possible. It's very important."_

_"Why?" Alice asked. _

_"Don't worry about that," Danny said. "But I promise that if you are ever in trouble, that with this, I'll always be there. Promise you'll keep it with you?"_

_"Promise," Alice said. Sam rolled her eyes playfully. Like Father like Daughter. Wow. That sounded way different than it should have. Maybe because it shouldn't be that exactly. She sighed. _

_"Good," Danny said. He noticed Cynthia walking towards them, some of Alice's trophies in hand. "Here, let me hold that for you," he offered. _

_"Sure," Cynthia said and the awards exchanged hands. "So, where you guys heading from here?" Cynthia had a thing for treating grown-ups as if they were teenagers as well. _

_"How about McDonalds!" Andrew cried, seemingly excited all of a sudden._

_Cynthia laughed. Alice looked at her parents._

_"I guess we could go there," Danny said. "Besides, I'm starved." Alice rolled her eyes. _

_"As long as they have a veggie menu, I'm okay," Sam had stated._

_"Cool, you wanna come with?" Alice asked Cynthia. Cynthia nodded. _

_"Off to McDonalds!" Andrew cried. They all shared a laugh then._

**_:END FLASHBACK_**

Alice called up the Twins, letting the phone ring twice, their signal, then hanging up. She stuffed her phone in her pocket. She walked over to her door and switched the light to make her parents think she was asleep. Walking over to her bed and grabbing the pillows, she stuffed them under her bedding to make it a little more convincing. Besides, in the dark, you couldn't tell the difference. Now to escape. She had exactly thirty minutes to make it to the school, so she was in no hurry. But she did know that ambling was a bad thing to do since anything that could go wrong just might do so.

She climbed out the window, propping her feet onto the 'foot-holds' of the pipe that went down from her room to the floor. As I've said before, it was a little dangerous to climb out the window. Especially if she's on the second floor. Imagine that fall! She was halfway down the pipe, it only taking her about three minutes, when her foot slipped.

Her hands kept hold of the ring around the pipe, keeping herself up. Her feet tried to climb back up, sliding with every haste step for control. Her foot finally caught another ring, her panting slightly, heart racing, eyes landing on the floor beneath her. That was definitely close. She sighed and continued on, climbing down until she was about four feet from the floor, jumping down. She glanced up at her open window, wishing she'd closed it, but it was too late now. She looked over her shoulder at the direction to her school. Sighing, she broke into a run through the darkness of the night. Please don't let anything go wrong.

* * *

E/N: I'm starting to like flashbacks as you can probably tell. Just so you know, I used the names of the awards from awards I've previously gotten and Cynthia Zuniga - and I hope she hasn't a clue about this sight - is actually my ex-best friend. Also, Casper Middle School is made up. If any of you know of the actual name of the middle school in Amity Park, please feel free to tell me! I'd really appreciate it. Anywho, until next time! 

--Airamé Phantom


	11. Where's Joseph?

A/N: On with the chapter!

* * *

Alice ran through the darkness, surprised she could see the street signs so well. For some reason, this night the street lamps were off. Strange. Pushing her suspicions aside, she continued to run, now only a block away from the school. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She didn't answer. Once. Twice. No more. That was their signal. The Myst Twins were already at the school. 

She sighed with relief and turned the corner to finally catch the school in her line of vision. It loomed in the darkness, it's white structure looking gray from the night. She caught sight of two other figures standing on the steps to the school. Jonathan and Jeanette, she knew. She sped up slightly to cover more distance quicker.

The figures finally came into close view, Alice quickly noticing the slight features of the two of them. She caught sight of black jeans and a black T-shirt on one figure - Jonathan - and a black skirt and black shirt on the other figure - Jeanette.

"Guys," she breathed, leaning forward on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

Jonathan and Jeanette stepped up to her. "Hey," they chorused. They hated it when they did that, speaking in sync, but Alice thought it was funny. She stood up straight, hands on her hips slightly.

"Where's Joseph?" she asked, looking at them.

"Isn't here yet," Jeanette said.

"He said he would be punctual, what time is it?" Jonathan added.

Alice looked at her watch. 9:56 PM. "Four to ten," she mumbled.

"Cut your chit-chat, I'm here," said the distinctive voice of a person named Joseph.

All three teens turned to the younger kid. "You're the one to give orders," Jeanette stated. She hadn't the time to deal with 'immature brats' as she usually referred to 'smart allecks' like Joseph. The boy grinned.

"You want my help, or not?" he said, walking over to the door. They watched him and followed.

"Yes, we do," Alice said. "So, how are we going to do this?"

"First, we break through the security system," Joseph stated, walking over to one side of the door, tracing the wall with his hand. They watched him. He stopped to the far-off left side of the door and looked at the wall, keeping one hand on it as if he were observing it closely.

Jeanette and Jonathan shared a glance and turned back to him, shaking their heads slightly. Alice watched closely. What was he looking at?

Joseph took something out of the backpack he'd been carrying slungaround one shoulder. It looked like a chisel-tipped screwdriver. Alice watched as he carefully seemed to place the tip of the screwdriver beneath a small metal plate on the wall.

Joseph finally got the plate to budge and they found he'd found the circuit box. "Found it!" he exclaimed.

They all rushed towards him. "What?" they asked.

"The circuit box, this is how we're going to manage to turn off the security system. You know, most schools've got this inside the school," Joseph said. "I'm surprised it's out here, but it's always procedure to check anyway."

"Procedure?" Jeanette asked. She's never trusted the guy, and wasn't about to start just yet. Joseph nodded.

"I've been in this business for a long time," he said.

Jeanette looked at him suspiciously, but her attention was drawn away as she watched him look at all the wires and switches inside the box, looking for the right one. "There's not switch, so it's one of the wires," he stated firmly.

"How do you know which one it is?" Jonathan asked. He may be a collector of old newspaper articles, but he's also got a thing for things like this.

Joseph trailed the wires with his finger, mumbling things beneath his breath, them only seeing his lips move rapidly. "This one," he said, once again taking something from his backpack.

"You can't cut it!" Alice said quickly. "They'll know someone broke in!"

"I'm not going to," Joseph said quickly. He took out a tiny pair of clamps. "Just gonna disconnect it, but it's dangerous to do so without some sort of protection against probable electrical surges," he said smartly. He was so serious. It was one these types of time when Alice couldn't believe he was actually eleven years old.

They watched again as he 'unplugged' the wire connecting to the security system. Joseph grinned slightly. "Safe to pick the lock now," he stated.

"You know how?" Alice asked then.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? I've been in this business long enough to know," Joseph said, walking over to the door and immediately going into another search for something in his backpack. "Plus, I've got a couple of things that could help." He showed them a small, key-like item. Actually, it wasn't like a key because it didn't have the little grooves that keys have. "A universal key. I just have to put it in and it changes to fill in the spots missing in order for it to work," he said, simultaneously doing what he was saying he had to do.

"Cool," Jeanette mumbled, surprised she'd done so. Jonathan looked at her and smiled. She stuck her tongue out at him. He only smirked wider.

"We're in," Joseph said then, turning the key and hearing the familiar click of the door's lock unbolting.

He opened the door and the three teens quickly made their way inside the school, making sure to keep their eyes peeled for any lonesome janitor that had stayed over-time or something.

Jonathan made his way expertly through the halls, his footsteps barely even hearable. Alice was surprised by his stealth. She was even more surprised at how he knew the school so well as to know exactly where to go even in the dark. She followed closely, careful to keep her own footsteps quiet too. Jeanette followed just as close.

They walked through about four halls to get to Jonathan's locker. Jeanette and Alice kept look out while Jonathan put in the combination to his locker. "Any time?' Alice asked through clenched teeth. She felt a little out of place being there all of a sudden. It had suddenly gotten very cold, her breath almost clearly visible. Jeanette and Jonathan didn't seem to be affected.

"Got it," Jonathan said. He looked inside his locker and gasped. They turned to him.

"What?" both girls chorused. Jonathan turned to them, moving out of the way so they could see inside the locker. Empty."My binder," he said. "It's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Alice asked. They'd come this far for nothing? She pushed past him, making sure her eyes weren't fooling her.

"It's just gone!" Jonathan said. Jeanette shushed him. They were still on thin ice. They couldn't risk being found out yet.

"But I thought you never took it out of your locker," Alice said.

"I don't," Jonathan said. Alice turned back to them, catching a strange difference in their number.

"Where's Joseph?"

* * *

E/N: Oh. Wow. I'm happy today. I got home a few hours ago from the Honor Roll Assembly at my school. Man, I got so confused at where I was supposed to go. I shook my principal's hand like ten times! HAHA! Anywho, thanks for reading! 

--Airamé Phantom


	12. The Story Begins

A/N: Okay, you know, I really should have watched what I made Vlad do. Uh...if you payed much attention, in the chapter called ''Why Do You Cry?" I made Vlad tell Andrew to tell Alice to go to the park and all, that was just in case this plan failed. So, yeah, read on!

* * *

Running. Down the road, running. Two-way radio in hand. "It's time," the boy panted into the radio. "They're in place, do it now!" 

The other end made a static-like sound before a voice was heard. "I know. I'm on my way there as we speak."

The boy ducked into the door of his house, quickly closing it and making his way up the stairs. "Joseph," the male sitting on the couch said.

"Hey, dad," Joseph said quickly and ran up the stairs. He needed to get to the monitors. Racing up the stairs was quick enough as Joseph made his way to his room. He stopped only a split second to open the door and run inside, closing it behind him. His computer was already on, him quickly sitting in the computer chair and typing away through many types of security systems to protect the information loaded into his computer.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He need to keep up. To know what was going on this very moment. "Cameras On-line," came the robotic voice.

"Yess..." Joseph mumbled, leaning back in his chair with relief.

At that very moment, someone quietly opened Joseph's door. His eyes widened in disbelief. This was what Joseph did all the time up here? He saw the monitor of Josephs computer as Joseph slid his roller chair to the table next to his computer desk, the one with all the beakers filled with chemicals, power-like substances, and more things. The monitor showed a camera view of one of the halls in Casper High. The one with Jonathan, Jeanette, and Alice. They were arguing over something, their voices barely audible. Joseph caught sight of the door. He looked over at it, moving only his eyes. He turned his head and gasped.

"Dad!" he exclaimed, jumping from his seat and onto his feet. The door opened completely and the man came in, glaring angrily at the monitors, at all the things Joseph had in his room.

"What is all this, Joseph?" the genuine Tucker Foley questioned. "What are you doing?"

"It's nothing!" Joseph exclaimed. "I'm just...uh..."

"I want the truth, young man," Tucker said. "Joseph, tell me what's going on!"

Joseph ground his teeth nervously. He looked towards the radio he'd left on his desk and made a grab for it. "Change of plans!" he screamed into it. Tucker rushed over to try and grab the device from Joseph's hands, but Joseph quickly maneuvered out of Tucker's reach, ducking under his arms and running to the door. "Sorry, Dad, but I can't tell you," he said and pressed a button cleverly camouflaged on the wall right beneath the switch for the lights. As Tucker tried to reach his son, the door slammed close, a metal sheet sliding over it to keep it from opening.

Joseph ignored the pounding on the metal coming from inside and ran back down the stairs. "Sorry, dad," he repeated.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the room, Tucker had calmed slightly, taking to the monitor of the computer. If he knew his son well, then Joseph surely would have implanted security cameras in every hall and room of the school. He typed in something and quickly got the whole monitor of the computer with miniature views of the cameras. He glanced at every single one, quickly scanning over what he could see. He caught sight of something. A shadow. He froze that camera as the figure passed by it. He zoomed in. Those red eyes looked fairly familiar. He gasped at the realization of who it was. He sighed and went back to trying to find a way out of here, or at least to get to a phone. Where was his wife when he needed her! 

He looked around the room, searching for anything. Come on, come on. His eyes scanned over everything. He was the one who'd taught Joseph everything he knew, there had to be something he messed up in. "Sheesh, what am I thinking," Tucker mumbled, looking towards the window. "Give it to Tucker Foley to over-look the obvious." He walked over to the window, trying to pry the darn thing open. "Or maybe not."

The darn thing wouldn't budge! There has to be a way to get the message out to... He looked at the computer. He rushed back over to it, opening every messenger known to man. "Internet to the rescue," he mumbled.

* * *

Over at FentonWorks, Sam was cleaning up around the house. She made it to Alice's room, hoping she was not asleep. She opened the door carefully, trying not to make noise. She sighed at seeing her asleep. Or rather, seeing what Alice had wanted her to see. She was then alerted by the slight _ping! _sound emanating from Alice's computer speakers. "She never turns that thing off," Sam mumbled. 

She carefully walked over to the computer, turning on the screen. She felt wrong doing so, but opened up the IM's from whoever was sending some to Alice this late at night. "Who the heck..." she cut herself short. She hadn't recognized the screen name at first, but after a slight moment of thought, she realized who it was. Only one person would call themself that. She quickly sat down in the computer chair, eyes wide, heart pounding.

_toofine: anyone there!  
Sapphire: Tucker, what the hell?  
toofine: please tell me this is danny!  
Sapphire: as if, this is Sam, once again, what the hell!  
toofine: alice is in trouble!_

Sam froze. She quickly switched on the lights, found that the body under the blankets was nothing but pillows. She stood horrified, her breath catching in her throat. She stumbled back to the computer.

_Sapphire: Shit, what the heck is going on!  
toofine: Joseph. I found this on his computer. he's been monitoring the school. i think something's up._

Tucker sent Sam a file, the zoomed in image of the shadowy figure in the one of the monitors. Sam gasped as she up-loaded the file.

_Sapphire: can it be?  
toofine: don't know. quick, get danny on the job!  
Sapphire: will do, thanks, tuck!  
toofine: no prob._

Sam quickly turned on the printer, printed out the image, and ran out the room, quickly running down the stairs, alarming the bored-looking Danny Fenton. Danny looked up her alarmed face. "Danny, quick!" Sam exclaimed, coming down the last few steps.

Danny stood, alarmed and alert. "Sam, what's wrong?" he asked. Sam ran to him, grabbed his arm and clung to his arm for a second. "Gah! What!" Danny asked, stumbling backward, away from her.

"Alice is trouble! You need to go find her!" Sam exclaimed.

Danny's expression as blank for a second or two, but became stern. "From who? Where?" he asked. Sam handed him the paper. Danny eyes it over, Sam still holding one of his hands. Danny looked at her, expression grave. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Casper High, with her friends, you've gotta go!" she said quickly. She could not stand another second knowing Alice was in danger.

* * *

At Casper High, the shadowy figure moved throughout the halls. Confident. Unknowing. His feet did not even touch the ground as he flew through the halls. He caught sight of the prey. His subject. The girl and her two friends stood arguing about something. He was aboutfour hallways away, but he could hear their words perfectly. 

"Where is he, the little brat!" Alice exclaimed.

"He can't have gone too far, he's only eleven!" Jeanette said.

"We'll find him," Jonathan added.

"And pulverize him," Jeanette said.

"Don't worry."

Alice hated it when it seemed as if they were completing each otehr's thoughts. It just annoyed her now for some reason. Her emotions were getting the best of her and she knew it. Her hands were fists. Only she didn't notice the strange energy flow emanating from her. The Twins did, but they ignored it. They dared not tell her anything.

The figure hiding in the darkness felt a presence then. He turned towards the being behind him. "Plasmius," the other figure whispered angrily between clenched teeth. Vlad smirked a broad, fanged smile.

"Now, now, Daniel, you would not want the young ones to see you," he said. "Let us take this somewhere else."

"No, we solve this now," Danny said.

"Still as stubborn as ever, are we?" Vlad said. Danny did not respond. "Come with me and I promise to leave the girl alone."

"You'd think you'd of learned by now you're not to be trusted," Danny said. Vlad smirked wider.

"Then let's fight somewhere else, if that is what you wish," Vlad said. "The girl knows of your existence, all she has left to figure out is that you are her own father."

Danny's expression hardened. "Leave her alone," he stated firmly. It was an order. He wasn't joking. This was not the little happy reunion as Vlad would have planned. Except he knew that if this plan should fail, and Daniel would figure out his presence, then he would retreat. For now.

"Fine, Daniel, I will leave the girl at peace," Vlad said. "For now." He whispered the last words as he vanished in a puff of smoke, as was his way. Danny floated to the ground, sighing softly. He did not wish to fight Plasmius, nor did he wish for Alice to figure out that he was there. He just wanted to live in peace for once. But after finding that Plasmius was here, then he knew he would live every waking minute on his toes as long as Vlad was in Amity Park. As long as Alice's future was at hand and about to be influenced.

He looked around the corner of the hall towards Alice. He knew her senses were flaring, that she was alert to everything. But most of all, he noticed the strange energy coming from her. His face fell. She had them. And Vlad knew it. Vlad knew she had ghost powers and would rest at nothing to try and manipulate her. He also knew that the only way to stop him would be to tell Alice everything. To tell her his secret. But he couldn't do it. It may danger her even more. Not to mention that because of Vlad's connections with the ghosts, Vlad could easily send any ghosts he wished against Danny and Alice.

No. He would have to keep his secret from Alice at all costs. He sighed and vanished from view, finding his way through the building and flying back towards FentonWorks, leaving Alice to come home on her own. He was sure Vlad would not try anything until another day had gone by. He knew Vlad anticipated his entrance into the battle from the start. Besides, Danny had a promise to keep. As much as he hated to say it, Sam was right.

* * *

Meanwhile, Joseph had sought refuge in the woods, sitting on a tree branch, high above the floor. He panted, radio still in hand. "Vlad, come in," he spoke the words rapidly, trying to keep up from his rapid breaths. 

"I am here, boy," Vlad said, suddenly appearing before him.

"My dad, he knows," Joseph said. Vlad frowned.

"So that is what alerted him," Vlad mumbled. "He must have alerted them both." Joseph looked at him quizzically. "Pay no mind to my babbling," Vlad said, rubbing his eyelids, tired of this. "I will see to it Plan B works to its fullest."

"Good," Joseph sighed. "By the way, can I stay with you for a while? My dad probably hates me now," Joseph said. "Not that I really care, but I need a place to stay."

Vlad smirked. "No problem, dear boy, after all, you deserve a little recognition for this. Feel free to stay in my home as long as you wish."

"Thanks," Joseph said. Vlad nodded. Then, in a split-second, both of them vanished form sight. Looks like the story has just begun.

* * *

E/N: I, personally, enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you guys liked reading it. Correct me if I'm wrong because I don't know what Tucker's actually screen name is. I just put something I thought he would put. Anyway, thanks for reading! 

--Airamé Phantom


	13. Faces, Voices

A/N:

* * *

Alice and the Twins were still at the school. "Man, cannot believe this!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Do you know how long that collection took me?" 

"For the last time, I don't care!" Alice screamed. Jeanette sighed. Alice was pacing and had been pacing for nearly five minutes. She stopped. The Twins looked at her, expecting another out-burst. But to their surprise, Alice swayed slightly on her feet instead.

"Feeling...dizzy," she mumbled, hand on the side of her head. Her vision seemed blurry for a second or two. She shook her head, trying to shake off the dizziness.

"You okay?" Jonathan asked, putting a hand to her shoulder. He backed off instantly at the sudden energy that was sent trailing up his hand. "Ow!" he exclaimed.

Jeanette quickly moved towards Alice, standing in front of her. "Alice?" she asked.

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly falling to her knees. Visions. Rapidly flowing through her head. Figures. People. She didn't recognize them. Her head ached like hell. She felt cold. Every sound was magnified. Every nerve-ending was flaring. Her teeth clenched.

The Twins gasped. She was glowing. A dark blue glow. "Alice!" Jeanette and Jonathan both exclaimed at the same time. Alice didn't seem to be conscious of them being there. She didn't seem to be able to hear them.

"Faces." The word was so low, the Twins barely heard. "Voices." This time they caught it and were afraid. They didn't know what to do. They stood there, helpless, afraid to even touch her. Jonathan still held his hand. It felt as if burned or something, but no mark was visible. Only the feeling lingered.

Alice was actually oblivious to this all. She couldn't hear them, but she could hear so many things in her head. So many faces that she didn't recognize. Some looked a little familiar. They were friends of the family. But others didn't even seem alive. She knew the name for these beings. She knew it. But perception was not something she fully understood at the moment.

Then the word came. Ghosts. These beings were monsters that did not belong among the living. They reside in the Ghost Zone. The Ghost Zone. She didn't understand the words but knew a big chunk of her life would be entwined with it.

The faces came back into focus. Clearer. Some looked pale, with ghoulish eyes. Other looked human. But then suddenly changed. The ones that stuck out the most were the smiling faces ofa teenage boy and his two friends. One looked like the others she'd seen. Pale. With glowing green eyes. The same face she'd seen in all her dreams. The other two looked very familiar. She recognized them as Tucker Foley. Samantha Manson. Her mother and her friend.

Slowly the images faded. Then a scream. She didn't know whether it was her own, or of someone else, but she knew she heard a scream. Then nothing. Darkness. The feeling of fading. Fading from reality.

* * *

At FentonWorks, Danny waited. He had sent Sam off to sleep because she was not used to staying up late. He was. He waited in the dark, twiddling his thumbs, expecting to see the door open quietly any minute now. Imagine his surprise when instead of a door opening, he heard loud knocking on the door. 

He found himself jumping to his feet and running to the door. He quickly opened the door. If it was Alice, he would be totally surprised. But it wasn't. As he opened the door, he was torn between shock and fear. "Mr. Fenton!" came the startled cry. It escaped Jeanette's lips with great urge in her voice.

The Twins carried Alice. She was unconscious. "What happened?" Danny asked then, horrified.

"We don't know, she just...collapsed..." Jeanette was scared. Danny could see it on her face and read it in her voice. Her voice was trembling.

"I'll ask where you guys were in the first place later, just come in, we need to see if she's okay," Danny said quickly, moving to one side and allowing the teens to enter the house. He took a minute to make sure they weren't followed and closed the door.

He turned to them, sighing and walking towards them. "I"ll take her to her room, you guys better get your story straight," he said, taking Alice into his arms.

Both Twins looked somewhere between exhausted, afraid, and guilty. Danny made his way up the stairs, the Twins trailing close behind. He pushed open the semi-open door of Alice's room and walked in, laying Alice on her bed carefully and looking at her for a second. Why had she collapsed? Was it because of her ghost powers? Or was it because of something else?

He turned back to the Twins, taking to Alice's computer chair and sitting down. He turned to them. He took note of everything. They were panting which means they'd come running. So that, in turn, means Alice didn't collapse too long ago. Joseph isn't with them, nor was he with them when Danny ahd saw them at the school. Danny concluded that Joseph is most likely working against them without them knowing so. He looked at Alice. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead even as she slept. Dreams. Probably not very pleasant obviously.

"Welcome to my temporary office," Danny said then, turning back to the Twins. "Please, take a seat, you'll be here a while. It's story time."

The Twins sat down on the floor, each thinking their own thoughts. "Explain," Danny said, resting both elbows on either arm of the roller chair and leaning forward to put his chin on his hands with formed a sort of arc. He looked very intimidating like that, almost boss-like.

The Twins shared a few silent thoughts and Jonathan nudged Jeanette in the ribs. Jeanette scowled at her brother, but cleared her throat and spoke. "Alice wanted to see a few of Jonathan's articles on a certain person she'd recently been...seeing," she said. Her words were cleverly crafted and carefully spoken, giving off a casual tone. Danny nodded.

"Go one," he said.

"Well, we got Joseph to help us break into Casper High to get Jonathan's binder because it couldn't wait. I believe you know his father?" Jeanette said. Danny nodded. "Yes, well, when we got there, Joseph let us in, but disappeared soon after we found that the binder was not in Jonathan's locker as we had expected."

As if on cue, Jeanette stopped speaking and Jonathan began talking. "I don't know how, but the binder was missing. Afterwards, it seemed Alice got really mad and began to jump to conclusions. She became too infuriated for us to even think of consoling and calming her. We did not know what to do." His voice was also casual, uncaring almost. But Danny had learned how to read voices. Deep in both of their tones was a little worry and uncertainty. Jonathan continued. "We don't know how, we don't know why, but suddenly Alice fell to her knees, head in her hands, as if in the middle of a sudden uncontrollable, unbearable, head ache."

Their vocabulary astounded Danny, but he dared not show any emotion on his face. He remained a stern example of pure intent. Then Jonathan stopped talking. There was only a second's pause when Jeanette began to speak.

"We could not even get close to Alice because we were afraid to harm both her and ourselves in doing so. We heard her whisper a few words. I believe they were: faces and voices?"

"I believe so," Jonathan said, nodding feebly. Jeanette continued.

"Then, she screamed. Once again, we don't know why, she just did. Then nothing. She just collapsed," she said. "We panicked and did the first thing that came to mind: bring her home."

Danny nodded again and leaned back in the chair, elbows still on the arms of the chair. He sat silent for a second, thinking over what they had said. It was believable. But the reason for them sounding so casual was beyond him. They probably didn't want to raise suspicion. They have seen way too many detective movies. Thedetective always knows the person is lying because they sound too casual. The innocent person is usually the nervous one. Well, in his theory there was truth to their story. But there was also something that still puzzled him.

Why had Alice asked to see the articles and who was the person she'd been 'seeing' as Jeanette had so plainly put it?

Realization struck him in the form of Sam's voice._ 'I do know she sees you in her dreams though...'_

He froze. She'd been looking for articles on him. She was so curious to know who this mysterious figure in her dreams was that she had stopped at nothing to achieve information.

The Twins looked at him, surveying his expression, the way he drummed his fingers against each other. Did he buy their story?

They were all startled by the sudden groan coming from Alice. Each head turned towards her. Bewildered. Hopeful. Alice slowly opened her eyes, hand on her head as if she still had a head ache. All of them watched with silent faces.

"What the hell!" Alice screamed, bolting straight up into sitting position. "Where am I? What's going on?" Her voice was lowered, as if afraid of what was happening.

"Don't worry, you're safe," came Danny's reassuring voice. At the moment, Alice had been focused on gathering and straightening her thoughts. Her glance shot up to her father. That voice. She's heard it before.

A vision shot through her mind with the white-hot pain that had began to diminish. Her hands shot to her head, trying to force the pain away. "Alice," Jeanette exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Danny held her back.

"No," he said. "Don't touch her."

"But..." Jonathan started, but only watched Alice. Jeanette looked at Danny's expression. Grim. Serious. But a deep concerned look in his blue eyes. She switched her attention back to Alice.

Alice sat there, head in her hands, grinding her teeth, eyes shut tight.

Danny knew pretty much what was happening. Her powers were trying to find a way out. They were surfacing. Making their appearance. But because Alice's body is not accustomed to them, it can't take it. Her mind's trying to find a way to make her body accustomed by filling her head with everything she should know. The problem? It's too much.

The reason for Danny's caution is because if the Twins touch her and her powers are out of control, it could hurt them because the ghost energy was at its peak. It would find the only way out by making its pathway through the Twins. The only way to solve this would be to leave Alice alone. No matter how heart-wrenching it may be to see her suffer. Secretly, silently, Danny watched and gritted his teeth. Holding back the deep urge to help Alice.

* * *

E/N: I don't know...is the plot advancing too quickly? 

--Airamé Phantom


	14. Yet To Be Solved

A/N: I doubt you'll like this chapter very much. But Danny has pointed out a few times I have a low self-esteem. --shrug-- I don't know. On with the chapter!

* * *

Danny bit his lip. Come on, Alice, fight it off, he pleaded secretly. Only now did he notice that Jeanette was holding on to his arm. Tightly. Jonathan's brows were furrowed with concern and hope. His eyes were clouded over just as Jeanette's were. Danny quickly switched his attention back to Alice. 

She was shaking. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. But Danny noticed, by the decrease of energy in the room, that she was weakening. Fast. It was only a matter of time before she fell unconscious again.

"Mr. Fenton, what do we do?" Jeanette asked, a pleading look in her eyes.

"I don't know," Danny said. The words hurt him so. Not knowing what to do when you knew your daughter was in serious need. It just hurt to accept. "But she's weakening fast. It's only a matter of time."

"For what?" Jonathan asked, voicing Jeanette's thoughts exactly.

"To go out cold again," Danny answered simply. The Twins glanced at Alice again. She did look on the verge of passing out again. This was all happening so fast. They didn't understand. And yet Mr. Fenton looked totally aware of what was happening. Serious. Concerned. But casual in a way neither of them could master.

Alice finally seemed to have all sensation and energy drained from her body. She seemed to shimmer for a second, but the gesture was soon gone. Only Danny noticed this small detail, actually. The Twins were too out of it at the moment. Danny rushed over before she fell and caught her just in time as she fell forward.

Alice sighed and looked at him slightly. Her breathing slowed slightly. Danny felt no ill-effect of the ecto-energy that had been surfacing in Alice. Nothing shocked him or anything. But now he was certain, after seeing everything happen to her, he was certain she had ghost powers. Whether or not he should tell her about his still remained unsolved. He knew he had to keep his promise to Sam, but he felt he couldn't tell her just yet. Not just yet.

"Dad," she whispered, her lashes falling, closing her eyes. Danny looked at her. She looked so vulnerable. Small. Almost child-like.

_She is just a child, _he admitted to himself. _She acts like such an adult I ask too much of her. She needs help just like everyone else. _

It was true. He always expected so much of her. Expected her to know right from wrong every time she was faced with a decision. To know how to solve something when faced with a problem. To know everything she had to know. But she was just that. A child. One who must face this awful burden. But he was determined to teach her. Whether directly or indirectly was not yet decided in his mind. To teach her in a way that she would not be conscious of him doing so would be difficult, but he knew he might have to if he wanted her to feel no pressure on learning. And because she got her powers at the level Danny's are at the moment, they would be harder to control. This was because they did not gradually become more powerful. She did not have time to learn to control each level of power.

"Yes?" Danny asked softly. Alice drifted off, not being able to say what she wanted. Danny sighed and didn't even turn to look at the Twins to be able to sense their feelings. Confusion. Apprehension. Fear. "She's okay," he said. He did not speak to them directly, but they knew he was speaking to them.

"Tomorrow is Sunday, no school, think maybe she'll be okay by Monday?" Jonathan asked quickly.

"Surely there is something we can do to help?" Jeanette continued.

"To help her get better?" Jonathan added.

Danny smiled just barely at the fact they were completing each other's thoughts again. "She'll be okay," he said. "Sam and I can take care of her ourselves. But you're welcome to come and check on her any time you want."

The Twins nodded and watched as Danny set Alice back onto her bed. He was noticeable worried, and they had perceived he would do anything to help Alice if they couldn't.

"We'll definitely be in touch," Jeanette said.

"Tomorrow, 5 o'clock sharp," Jonathan continued.

"We'll be here," Jeanette said.

Their voices were stunningly similar. Danny, in his dazed state, barely caught the difference. Jonathan's voice was slightly deeper than his sister. But Jeanette's voice wasn't all that girly either. It was rather deep too. Not much though, just enough to still be recognized as a girl's voice. Danny turned to them and nodded.

"Door's always open," he stated.

"Yes, well, good bye, Mr. Fenton," Jeanette said.

"See you tomorrow," Jonathan added on his own part of the closing statement.

Danny saw them out of the house and then went back into Alice's room to make sure she would not be stressed out to find she was home. Danny sighed. The only thing he could say was that she'd been home all along. Then she'd think her plan to sneak out and back in had worked. Wonder if she'll buy it. He switched the lights off and closed the door. Hope she will.

* * *

Next Day. Sunday. 8:50 AM. 

Alice awoke the next morning with a small head ache and with her muscles aching and stiff. She groaned as she sat up, relieved to be home. Wait a second. Her eyes snapped to attention as she glanced around to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Home.

She didn't remember anything. The only thing she was did was extreme cold. Seeing her breath. Then visions. Visions accompanied by pain. But... How did she get home? She didn't remember anything from the time at the school when she began to see the visions. Nothing made sense.

Hearing whistling coming from outside the door in the hall snapped her out of her thoughts. She knew it was her dad. He always whistled when he barely got out of bed. It was just routine.

She quickly stood, wincing just barely at the sudden pain surging through her body, but ignored it. She'd been through worst. Opening the door, she quickly exclaimed, "Dad!"

Danny had been on his way to the bathroom for a quick shower when he heard her. Turning back, he asked, "Yeah?"

"Did you by any chance notice how I got in my room?" Alice asked. If he knew something he would tell her. That's just how he was. Never holding back any information unless it was absolutely necessary.

Danny stared at her with genuine confusion. "Well, according to what I saw, you walked there," he said, crossing his arms. "Why?"

As you can probably tell, his acting had gotten way better. If he was back into his teenage years, he'd be showing signs of nervousness and obvious panic by now. But he was calm. Genuinely perplexed. It was too convincing to be doubted of.

"Just wondering because I think I have memory blank," Alice said. "No big."

"Alright, well, I'll be on my way then," Danny said.

Alice nodded quickly and watched as he disappeared into the bathroom. She sighed. Leaning against the wall, she allowed herself to slide down until she was sitting against it. "Wow," shesaid quietly. "That was definitely uncalled for." She turned towards the bathroom door. "Hope he isn't too suspicious."

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Andrew coming out of his room. He was still wearing his blue and white pajamas and looked as if he'd just woken up. She watched as he yawned and rubbed his eyes before he finally caught sight of her. He walked over and sat down next to her.

"What'cha doin'?" he asked, looking at her carefully. Intense focus. He looked so innocent right then Alice had to look away. Little devil.

Nothing," she said. "As you can see, I'm just sitting against the wall, thinking."

Andrew shook his head an sighed. Then a small smile lit up on his face as he turned back to Alice. "Alice, guess what?" he asked.

Alice turned to look at him. Pure mischief. That's what she saw. "What?" she asked.

Andrew flashed a mysterious smile. "I'm not telling you," he said. Alice grimaced. "Okay, okay I'll tell you." Andrew took a deep breath and thought for a second. Two. Three. "You need to go to the park today at ten," he said.

Alice stared at him. "What?"

"Park. Ten."

"Why?"

"Because," Andrew said. He was perfectly serious.

"Fine," Alice said. "Just to amuse you. Besides, I don't have anything to do anyway." Andrew jumped to his feet, startling Alice.

"Okay, bye!" he said and rushed into his room.

"Well that was weird," Alice noted. She stood and walked into her own room. It would be ten soon. She'd better start getting ready for whatever 'surprise' or rather, disappointment Andrew had planned this time. The number one rule in making your brother seem like an idiot: Make any prank on you look good. She smiled at the thought and picked out her clothing for the day.

Ten minutes later Danny was out the bathroom and she finally had a chance for a shower. She felt so dirty for some reason. As if she'd accidentally gotten something spilled onto her. Worst yet, she had the strange feeling in her gut that said something important or life changing happened to her and she didn't even know. As a matter of fact, she was sure of it.

She was sure not remembering anything and waking up in her room was part of whatever had happened. Something important occurred during the time she didn't remember. But where could she look for the answers? It had to be somewhere simple. Where she'd never be expected to look. Something was hiding and she needed to find it. Whether that was meant to be literal or metaphoric, however, was yet to be solved.

* * *

E/N: I know. I cut it a little short. Nothing interesting happened. But I need to space out the chapters and make sure they don't over-lap. Did that make any sense? Axel, if you're reading this, please don't be thinking that I never make sense. Danny has pointed that out and so has Emma...or Alex. Can't remember which. Shoot. Everyone is reading this, huh? Well I feel stupid. Thanks for reading! BYE! 

--Airamé Phantom


	15. Oh No

A/N: I know, I know, I totally deserve to be hung at the gallows for not up-dating after so long. Trust me, I've been getting a whole bunch of scenes for my other story in my head I just had to focus on that one. But do not fear, I am back! Now on with the chapter!

* * *

Alice made it out of the shower and quickly changed into her regular clothes. She brushed her hair, her teeth, and was soon ready to go to the park. Should she call the Twins? Probably not. It would be best she didn't tell them in case it was just some prank. She sighed and walked down the stairs and into the living room. At the sudden sound of her stomach grumbling, she changed direction from the door to the kitchen. Breakfast sounded like a very good idea. 

She walked into the kitchen and caught sight of something. The door to the basement was open. She remembered that her parents always kept that door locked. They weren't allowed down there for any reason no matter how important. Said it was dangerous. She never understood why, but she had always honored her parents' wishes about it. Besides her curiosity, a strange compulsion drove her to go see who was down there.

She looked down into the basement, a light catching her attention at the bottom. It was a greenish glow. She wanted to know what it was and found herself walking down the stairs. The light seemed to draw her in. Compelling her to follow its menacing glow. She had only gone down about four steps when the sound of metal doors closing and the sudden disappearance of the glow sent her into a slight perplexed state. She shook her head.

She wandered down the rest of the stairs, her curiosity now her only drive. Alice couldn't help but watch in awe at the place. It was her basement, she knew, but it seemed like nothing she'd ever imagined. A bunch of metal-topped tables aligned some of the side walls. There were gadgets spread over them along with many random mechanical parts. Her eyes wandered over a few beakers filled with curious liquids. Her eyes wandered still towards the hunched figure that was looking through an old box.

"Dad?" she asked. Danny, suddenly surprised by the voice, banged his head on the table where the box was under and fell backwards, rubbing the spot.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as he fell backwards. He turned to her, shaking his head. "Oh, it's you, what are you doing here?"

"It's my basement too," Alice said, putting a hand on her hip. She walked over to him as he stood up. "What is all this stuff anyway?"

"Fenton Ghost-hunting Equipment," Danny mumbled, dusting off dust particles from his jeans. "Your grandparents, Maddie and Jack Fenton, used to be inventors and ghost-hunters."

"Cool," Alice said, turning to him and away from the portal. "And did they actually capture any ghosts? Which ones? Who? Here in Amity Park?"

"Whoa, slow down there," Danny said. "Since when are you so interested in ghosts?"

Alice ignored the question and walked over to the portal. She located the Genetic Lock and pressed the button, it scanning her finger.

"Alice, no!" Danny said. The portal doors opened. This couldn't be good. The metal doors, sliding open with a small creaking sound, revealed the blank green nothingness of the Ghost Zone. Alice only stared in wonder while Danny wondered if any ghosts would find their way out. He'd struck a truce with them, but there were a few catches along with it.

**_FLASHBACK:_**

_A twenty-four year-old-Danny Phantom stood in the 'Meeting Grounds' for the ghosts in the Ghost Zone. All around him were ghosts he'd fought many times before and ghosts he'd never even met as well. Skulker, Technus, Clockwork, and an Observant were in the front row. Danny had asked Clockwork to come because he wanted some sort of moral support to be there. Clockwork had brought along the Observant. Skulker and Technus were speaking on the behalf of the ghosts. _

_The Meeting Grounds, as it was called, was actually just another floating piece of an island that was cleared of all type of ecto-vegetation. There were chairs for the ghosts to sit on and even a podium for someone to speak, meaning Danny himself. He stood staring out at everyone with sharp green eyes. If anyone should try an attack now, they were sure to be caught by the guards Walker had set up around the area. Danny, himself, might be caught if he weren't careful._

_"Listen up," he called into the surprisingly modern microphone on the podium's top. "I've gathered all of you here because I'm planning a second truce between me and you guys and the Real World."_

_Dozens of groans and 'boo's filled the surrounding area. _

_"Quiet!" Walker shouted. Danny nodded a thank you towards him but he merely turned away. _

_"I've been fighting you guys day and night for almost ten years now," Danny continued. "I'm getting tired of it. In a few months I'm graduating from college. I want to be able to settle down for once without the fear of knowing one fight may be my last. Sam and I, as you probably know by now because the Box Ghost has such a big mouth, are going out and, well, planning marriage."_

_In the second row, he could hear the Box Ghost chattering on about it not being his fault the news got out. Other ghosts only chuckled, the main ones being Skulker and Clockwork. _

_Danny smiled slightly at the sight of Clockwork finding this a little amusing, but went on. "I was hoping we could find a way to keep you guys both satisfied and out of our way," he said. "I want you guys to be satisfied and for there to be some even amounts of benefits, but I don't know much of what to offer."_

_"How about this, whelp," Skulker said, standing up from his chair. "We stay out of your life while you stay out of our _after_-life."_

_"I'm listening to whoever gives me an idea, if there's anymore you want to add..." Danny trailed off. He was giving Skulker a chance to answer._

_"I've hunted you for many years, ghost kid, I'm not about to give up," Skulker said. "All of us like causing chaos in the Real World. We won't just let it go."_

_"That's why I want to settle a truce," Danny said. "I like fighting you guys and beating your butt back into the Ghost Zone, but a guy can only handle so much for so long. I don't want to worry Sam. Is there any kind of agreement we can come up with here?"_

_"A truce..." Technus repeated. "Both ends equal?"_

_"Yes, that's the point," Danny said. "Keep everyone happy."_

_"Ghost-boy, we would gladly oblige to any truce that worked in both our favor and yours but we have nothing to propose," Technus said. _

_"Perhaps a way for you all to stay in the Ghost Zone but still have a way out when granted the chance," Clockwork asked. It was meant to be a statement, but it was also in a way a question. _

_"That sounds good," Technus said. _

_"Yes!" The Box Ghost bellowed. "If the portal door or any other means of escape should present themselves, then we shall be granted a way into the Real World!"_

_"For once, I think he's on to something," Skulker said. _

_Danny nodded. "Fine," he said. "If you should ever be granted any means of escape into the Real World, you may come out and take advantage of it. But trust me, unless Wulf turns on me, you won't be coming out." _

_"We'll be sure to keep a good check on that portal of yours from now on," Skulker said. "The hunt will resume from where it ended. Soon."_

_"Keep a good eyes out for your portal, Daniel," Clockwork warned. _

_"I'm not some kid anymore, I know what to do, the precautions I need to take," Danny said. "You guys aren't getting out. I know so."_

**_:END FLASHBACK_**

Danny watched the green, swirling dimension with great horror. The last time it accidentally opened when he was walking about cleaning the place he'd gotten lucky and no ghost had come out. This time, however, he wasn't so sure the same luck was with them.

"Alice, get away from the portal," he quickly said.

"Portal? To wear?" Alice asked.

"This is not the time for questions, close it now!" Danny said.

"No, I wanna see where it leads," Alice said. She blocked the Genetic Lock. She wanted to see this. She didn't care if she got in trouble. She didn't care if her dad grounded until she was thirty-five, her curiosity was much bigger.

Suddenly, the air grew cold. She could shivers run up and down her spine, causing her to tremble slightly. Danny noticed this. He watched as his own ghost sense suddenly went off, the blue wisp of mist escaping his lips. Oh no.

* * *

E/N: Another sucky chapter with a sucky flashback.

Danny: Low self-esteem, what'd I tell you?

me: Danny be quiet. Now everyone's gonna thinkg I'm crazy.

Danny: You are.

me: --growl-- Shut up!

--Danny and I continue to argue until Danny died laughing--

--Airamé Phantom


	16. You Have No Idea!

A/N: Oh, so sorry I haven't up-dated. I have like four otehr fics to keep up with and it's not easy! Maybe the fact I some times only focus on one for like a whole week has something to do with it? Well, anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

"Alice, close it, now!" Danny urged. Alice looked at him. He was staring at the portal, blue eyes wide with...was that fear? She looked back at the portal. It didn't look very ominous to her. But she figured her dad knew more about this than her. Then she gasped as another figure joined him. 

He was big and bulky, and had a mechanical look to him. He looked like a robot almost with gleaming green eyes and flaming green hair. Scratch that last part, this guy was a robot. She watched as he looked around, scanning the basement, eyes landing on Danny. The figure smirked. He looked so familiar and Alice was she'd seen him somewhere before. Maybe in her dreams?

"Alice, get out," Danny said, stepping back as the figure took a step forward once he was on the ground. He'd been hovering above the floor about three inches. "Now, Alice!" Her father's voice startled her into focus and she made a run for it, questions swirling in her head as she made it to the stairs. Where did that portal lead? Had she really seen that figure in her dreams? Did that mean he was a bad guy? Or a good guy? How many other beings reside on the other side of that portal?

Her eyes widened a little bit as realization struck. That figure was a ghost. The portal must lead to the Ghost Zone. The person looked familiar because he _had _been in her dreams. She stopped dead in her tracks at the second to the last step, heart pounding, head spinning. Her dad could take care of this, right? Her grandparents were ghost-hunters, surely they'd taught him to use their weapons, right?

* * *

"So," Skulker sneered as Danny only stood there. 

Danny had gotten Alice out because he'd been planning on going ghost, but he had to keep true to his side of the deal: if they should ever be granted any means of escape into the Real World, they may come out and take advantage of it. But never once did Danny actually think one of them would manage to escape. His hands froze at his sides, as he quickly located an ectoplasmic-weapon. He didn't have to look away from Skulker, he could sense the weapon near him. Besides, Skulker was already out, and Danny was giving him a chance to go on his way. Thank heavens for loop-holes.

"So what?" Danny asked, easing his way gradually towards the weapon to his right. He moved so slowly, Skulker barely realized the difference.

"So, the hunt resumes where it left off," Skulker said, narrowing his eyes. Danny grinned as he finally got close enough to the weapon. Only now did Skulker finally realize it. "Your truce forbids it," Skulker quickly said.

"I gave you a chance to escape, you decided not to," Danny said, grabbing the Fenton Ghost Bazooka and aiming it at Skulker. "So I decided: hey, he didn't take advantage of it, so I'll take advantage of a loop-hole I found!"

"Dad!" Alice's voice distracted him. She was standing at the foot of the stairs. Danny turned.

"I said to get out!" he shouted.

"And I say, catch that ghost: Alice said, pointing. Danny turned back to Skulker. He was just barely phasing out. He cursed beneath his breath, got the Fenton Thermos, and rushed by Alice, reaching back to catch her out-stretched arm.

"Come on!" he urged, thrusting the Fenton Thermos into her free hand.

"What's this?" Alice asked, trying to keep her balance as they ran up the stairs and into the living room. She looked at the contraption in her hand. What was it for, soup?

"It's the Fenton Thermos, you use it to capture the ghost," Danny quickly answered. Sam, who was currently going down the stairs into the living room, caught sight of all this - more the bazooka and the thermos - and quickly asked, "What's going on?"

"Ghost," Danny answered simply. Sam wasted no time asking questions.

"Be careful," she said. Danny winked at her and opened the front door. Alice didn't catch any of this, she was busy trying to get all the information into her head. A Fenton Thermos used to capture ghosts? A bazooka? Okay, now this was just getting crazy!

She only noticed when her dad let go of her wrist and stopped suddenly, causing her to almost crash into him. "What the_-_!" Alice started, stopping as fast as she could and looking up. Danny didn't seem to notice her standing there, he looked way more focused on scanning the surrounding area. He sighed and his shoulder slumped. The bazooka's firing end pointed down at the ground and Danny looked at Alice. "Dad, what's going on?" she asked, looking at his wary expression.

"I'll explain everything inside," Danny said calmly, as if nothing had happen. "But you'd better get ready because this is a lot of information you may be needing later."

"Okay, but first," Alice said. Danny had started back towards the door and he turned back towards Alice at her statement. "Is it as crazy as this thing?" she asked, pointing at the thermos. He smiled.

"You have no idea!"

* * *

E/N: Extraordinarily short, I know. But it leads into the plot. And for those of you who are really paying attention, Alice may be late for her 'surprise.' Well, later! 

--Airamé Phantom


	17. Walk With Me

A/N: You've waited long enough! Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!

* * *

Alice followed Danny back inside the house. Her thoughts were spinning so much, she felt she would throw up. First, she finds out there's a whole lab in her basement. Second, she finds out her grandparents were ghost-hunters. Third, there's a portal leading into the Ghost Zone in the lab. Last, she finds out her dad, the one person she'd thought wouldn't understand anything about her dreams, turned out to be the ghost expert. Then there was that weird bazooka thing and this thermos thing. Just how crazy was her family anyway? 

She closed the door behind her and found Danny talking with Sam, now both sitting on the couch. She couldn't make out what they were saying, they were talking to quietly, but she knew it had something to do with all this madness. "I'm right here, you know," she said.

"We know," Danny answered, not taking his eyes off Sam. Sam sighed, almost unnoticeably, then turned towards Alice. "We hoped it wouldn't come to this," Danny continued, looking at Alice now. "But there's a lot we need to tell you. Starting with that." Danny pointed at the Fenton Thermos.

"Oh, please do," Alice said, sitting on the couch opposite them.

"It's called a Fenton Thermos. It captures ghosts," Sam said, glancing at Danny. They'd agreed upon his decision to teach Alice as much as he knew about ghosts, but not tell her about his powers. "All the other gadgets and equipment downstairs is also used to capture ghosts. They range from simple net-guns, to-"

"Things like the Fenton Bazooka," Danny finished, pointing on the large weapon leaning against the couch-arm. Alice glanced at the weapon.

"And why did the ghosts just now come?" Alice asked.

"Because of a truce," Danny said. "A truce was made between the ghosts and a half-ghost kid."

"This truce enabled the ghosts to be allowed free passage into the real world should they be given the chance. That's why Danny didn't want you to open the portal," Sam said.

Alice nodded slowly, taking in all the information. "How do you know all this?"

"Because my parents were ghost-hunters, we already went through that," Danny said.

"How can you be only half-ghost?"

"It's easy," Danny said. "Either you somehow are involved in an accident consisting of a way for ectoplasmic energy to get into your system, or you're born with it." Alice blinked, suddenly taken aback by his last statement. 'Born with it'? Could that be what's happening with her? She'd been taking note of everything that happened in her dreams and in real life. How she'd suddenly gotten to Andrew fast enough before he could tattle-tell on her the other day, how it had felt so cold in the lab that she could see her breath right before the ghost showed up. It made almost no sense, yet was at the same time the clearest explanation she could get at.

"Alice?" Sam asked. Alice looked at her, then quickly turned to her dad.

"Did you know the ghost-kid? What was his name? He was half-ghost right? Was he only half-dead then? Then that meant he was half alive. How is that possible? What kind of powers did he have? What happened to him? Is he-"

"Hold on a minute!" Danny exclaimed. "One question at a time. I don't have all the answers." Alice stood.

"Can I call Grandma and Grandpa? They should know! How long did you say they were into ghosts?"

"They're retired ghost-hunters, Alice," Danny said. "They may not expect this, let alone from you. I don't want to get them all worked up. They never had a chance to capture the ghost kid, you know. They'd be disappointed you saw him or something while they're not even here to try to capture him again."

"Listen to your dad, Al," Sam said. "I'm pretty sure after all these years that made perfect sense."

"I rehearsed," Danny mocked. Sam shook her head.

Alice sighed, thinking. "Okay, first question, when was the last time you guys saw the ghost-kid?"

"It was about ten years ago, the last time a ghost got through while the truce held," Danny said.

"It was the Box Ghost, right?" Sam asked. Danny nodded.

"How many ghosts do you guys know of?"

"More than I can recall all at once," Danny said.

Alice slumped in her seat, crossing her arms, thinking. "Did Grandma and Grandpa ever fight the ghost kid?"

"Yeah," Danny said.

"How many close ones did he have before they finally retired?" Sam asked rhetorically. Danny answered still.

"I really can't remember." Sam laughed and shook her head. Danny didn't get the joke. He shrugged it off.

"Did they keep files?" Alice asked. "Of the ghosts? The different powers, abilities?"

"I don't know," Danny said. "They should, but I wouldn't know where."

"Okay," Alice said. "I have more questions, but I think they'll have to wait." She looked at the clock. 10:15 AM. "I really gotta go," she said, standing.

"Where?" Sam and Danny chorused.

"More importantly, why?" Danny asked. He really hoped Vlad didn't have anything to do with it. And if he did, he would have no way to know. Maybe he should keep an eye on her, just in case.

"Bye, guys!" Alice called, ignoring their questions and going out the door. Danny frowned. And then again, maybe the best way for her to learn would be by herself, no distractions because of knowing he was watching over her shoulder.

* * *

Alice ran down the block, hoping not to be any later than she already was. If this were a regular day, she would have taken her time since she thought it was some prank Andrew planned. but since it was getting a little strange, she decided not to waste time or else that ghost would come back. What was his name? She couldn't recall her dad saying it at all. Maybe it was just some one-time ghost that wouldn't show again. Well, she hoped so anyway. For some reason coming face-to-face with that thing didn't seem like the movies on TV. This was reality. Her reality anyway. 

Only about ten minutes later, she came upon the park, out of breath and panting. That was the last time she ran full-force down ten blocks. She leaned forward on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She scanned around with her eyes. The park was empty, an eerie silence befalling it. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, and stood up straight, hip slightly to one side, hands in her pockets. The wind had picked up without her realizing it, sending locks of hair flying around her with every breeze. This only sent chills racing up and down her spine.

This was almost like in the horror movies when the person, or main characters, stumbled upon some empty place. They call out and don't receive an answer, then take the place for completely vacant. Then, when they least expect it, something attacks them from behind. Why? Because their senses weren't on high alert. They were too self-convincingly sure that they're alone. The point is, you're never alone.

Then Alice picked up a sound. Her ears seemed to perk, but she paid it no mind. It was a soft, rustling sound, like when you step on grass that's dry. They were soft foot-steps, and she'd heard the sound. It was coming from behind her. Another breeze started to blow, a little more wild this time, making the temperature seemed to drop quickly so she could see her breath. But her movements cut through it as if everything were standing still.

She turned quickly on one heel, spreading her legs out 'til they were at shoulder width and bent at the knees just a little bit to keep balance. She leaned forward for even greater balance. Her senses were flaring, her heart thumping quickly to provide enough energy flow through her body. Her arms went up into battle stance. Her hair settled around her only one split-second after she'd done this. Then she froze.

Before her was a simple middle-aged man. He could cause no danger, it seemed. He had grey-white hair held into a pony-tail. He looked simple-minded, almost care-free. He wore a black suit, and stood in a way someone expecting and completely convinced he would receive a great award would: confident, and calm.

Alice's muscles relaxed, her shoulders slumped, her heart stopped pounding so loudly in her chest, and her hands fell to her sides and she stood up straight again. She blinked. "Uh..." she mumbled. The man extended a hand towards her. She looked at it, then back up at the man.

"Alice, correct?" he said, smiling thinly, almost mysteriously. Alice took a second to process all the information she'd just received. So far, she was stuck at him asking if he'd said the correct name. She found herself taking his hand, giving it one shake and nodding.

"Yes," she said, taking back her hand. "Who are you? Have we met?" She tilted her head to one side in confusion. That's what she wanted him to think, anyway. She was really trying to focus her hearing to make sure this guy was the only other person there.

"My name is Vlad Masters," the man said. "I understand your brother told you to come here?"

"Andrew? Yeah, he did," Alice said, finally realizing this guy was alone here. The wind seemed to die down suddenly, an occasional breath of air escaping from the atmosphere every now and then. "I'm starting to doubt his reasons. Why are you here? And why did you talk to my brother, when?"

"My, you're quite the curious child," Vlad said, chuckling quietly. Alice growled, teeth clenching, fists tightening.

"I'm thirteen," she said. "Not a child. I'm an psychologically an adult. Well, pre-adult, but you get the point. I can do anything you can, old man."

"You don't seem to have gotten many genes from your father," Vlad said, circling Alice, as if searching for weak spots. "You seem more like Jazmine, and Samantha."

Alice stumbled swiftly out of Vlad's circle and went back into a slight battle stance. She didn't have a very good feeling about this guy. "How do you know so much about my family? More importantly, mom, dad, and Jazz?"

"I'm an old friend," Vlad said. "I knew your grandparents. You're Grandmother was especially my greatest friend. Your grandparents and I went to college together."

Alice looked at him. Did he really know her family so well as to be able to say all this as if it were the most simple thing in the world? Not even she knew so much about her grandparents. They've been a big blank in her mind since childhood. "And why are you here?" she asked then.

"The 'curse' as your brother so colorfully put it," Vlad said. "They are called, actually, ghost powers."

Alice scowled. There was that whole 'curse' thing again. "What about it?"

"You have them," Vlad said simply. Alice froze again, her face completely blank, and the color fading from her complexion. "But they have not yet completely unfurled within you. They are still lying dormant, though some powers have already become active. Don't you feel the change? Haven't you noticed the symptoms?"

Memory blank; head aches; dreams; sudden flashes; the ability to perceive things she'd never even heard of like the Ghost Zone, and the name for other beings: ghosts. Of course she'd noticed. She had just never really paid attention to them that much. "Yes," she replied, quietly. "So what?"

"Your parents have not explained anything to you?"

"Not much. Only that my grandparents used to hunt ghosts, had a lab, invented their own gear. That's about it," she said. Vlad sneered. Then his plan would work wonderfully. He walked over to the girl and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Come," he said. "Walk with me and I shall explain to you any questions you may have on the matter."

* * *

E/N: I think I'm leading into the plot now. 

--Airamé Phantom


	18. Trust

A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long! It's not easy having a muse that goes crazy every time I hear a song or hear something my friends say! Here's your next chapter!

* * *

"I don't get it," Alice said, shaking her head. She and Vlad were sitting on a bench under a shady tree, talking. She'd been asking him a whole bunch of questions: about ghosts, Amity Park's history, her grandparents, even the ghost boy and Ghost Zone. Vlad had answered every single one without so much as a second's hesitation. It was as if he'd rehearsed for all of this. Right now, she was trapped in a battle within her mind. The side that was telling her to believe Vlad was winning. 

She had asked Vlad what the ghost boy did for the town. Vlad had told her his most sincere reply: that he was usually trapping ghosts, but that he soon let them go and then they would be out and about. That once he'd taken hostage the city mayor and had even attacked her grandparents a few times. Alice had tried to argue that he couldn't have been so destructive, but every time she made one point, Vlad had the perfect counter-statement. She was getting ready to give up.

"I thought he was a good guy," she mumbled.

"Where did you hear about Danny Phantom, Alice? He has not been around for nearly fifteen years," Vlad said. Alice shrugged one shoulder. She was leaning forward onto her knees, elbows propped on her thighs, head in her hands.

"I saw him," she said.

"Where?"

"In my dreams," Alice said. "He was a teenager, like about my age, maybe older. He kept trying to tell me something, maybe a warning, but I always woke up before he could. Something always woke me up before I can hear what he's got to say. I used to think he was trying to lead me onto something, maybe I need to embark on some sort of mission or learn some sort of lesson, but I never found out."

"What did he say?" Vlad asked.

Alice sighed and looked up and towards the playground. She flashbacked to the very first time she had that dream. Right after her thirteenth birthday.

**_FLASHBACK:_**

_It was getting late, and everyone had gone home. "Bye, Alice, good night," Jonathan said, exiting through the door. Alice waved and closed the door behind the Twins. She sighed and looked around the living room. It was nearly nine, she noted. Maybe later. _

_"Time for bed, birthday girl," Sam said. _

_"Where's dad?" Alice asked. Sam hesitated._

_"He's out, sweetie, something important," Sam said. Alice frowned. Where could he have gone? It's her birthday. "Come on, where's the smile you had this morning?" Sam asked her. _

_Alice smiled. "I think I'm gonna go to bed after all," she said. _

_"Okay, sweet dreams," Sam said as Alice climbed up the stairs to her room. _

_Alice stumbled at nearly tripping over a random toy on the floor. "Andrew," she mumbled as if she were scolding him. In truth, Andrew had been asleep since eight that night. He had a very weird habit of falling asleep the minute the lock struck eight. He was only a ten-year-old after all. _

_Alice stepped over the toy and walked into her room, quickly going to her bed and letting herself fall onto it. She hugged her pillow and feel immediately to sleep. _

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

_Alice found herself waking to a soft-toned voice. It sounded so rhythmic, so boyishly wonderful. Immediately she found the voice reassuring and in her definite trust. She opened her eyes and sighed deeply, standing up automatically. "Where am I?" she wondered aloud. _

_"Ever heard of the middle of nowhere?" said the boy in front of her. Alice looked at him. He looked vaguely familiar. "Well, this is it! Come on, I need to show you something." The boy reached for her hand and led her off towards the greenish light in front of them._

_"Am I dead?" Alice asked then, currently terrified by that light, yet entranced by it lightly. _

_"No," the boy laughed, smiling at her. They found themselves in, as the boy ahd said, the middle of nowhere. Everywhere Alice looked was green. Everywhere she looked only caused her eyes to want to search the environment even more. Everything looked so curiously interesting. It drew her focus entirely away from the boy. _

_"What is this place?" she asked. "Boy?" She felt the grasp around her wrist loosen, then leave completely. She turned to where the boy was standing. He had his back turned to her. She blinked and took a step towards him._

_"Not any closer," he said sternly._

_"But..." she started. He turned to look at her, and for a moment, his eyes flashed green. _

_"You've got to leave now. Go! It's not safe here! You need to-"_

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

_"Alice?" said a voice, piercing her dreams. "Alice, wake up." Alice's eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry at first. "Alice?" came the voice again. She bolted straight up on her bed, staring at the person speaking to her._

_"What?" she questioned, suddenly surprised. The familiar face and voice finally registered in her mind, and her blue eyes lit with joy. "Dad!" Without warning, Alice strung her arms around her father's neck. "God! Where were you? You missed the party! It was so awesome!"_

_Danny laughed and hugged her back. "Sorry I couldn't be there," he said. "I had stuff to check up on today. Simple problem I had to check into."_

_"Like what?" Alice asked. She pulled away from her father and looked him straight in the eye._

_"Nothing too important," he said. "And Alice, you're a teenager now. With your thirteenth birthday comes a lot of changes. I remember when your mom turned thirteen. She had mood-swings, and just got crazy all of a sudden. One moment she was happy and playing around, and the next she's grumpy and getting the bat ready to knock me on the head."_

_"Daniel James Fenton you are such a liar," said the mentioned girl. Samantha Manson stood against the door frame, watching the two. Danny looked at her, and Alice smiled at her. _

_"Takes one to know one," Danny said. Sam shook her head and walked over. _

_"I think you're forgetting something. Again," Sam told him. Danny looked at her, confused. Then it hit him twelve times on the back of the head and once in real life as Sam smacked him gently on the head to make him remember. _

_"Thanks," he mumbled, rubbing the spot. "**That** really helped." She snickered. Danny turned back to Alice. "Give it to me to over-look the obvious," he said. "Happy birthday Alice." He hugged her again. Then, whispering in her ear, said, "And I think your mom is **still** having mood-swings!" She laughed. _

_"Ha, ha, very funny," Sam said. They all laughed then._

_

* * *

_

"I have to admit," Alice said. "I have changed, a lot."

"How?" Vlad asked. Alice sighed and crossed her arms, watching the little boys and girls run around the play ground, chasing each other in a friendly game of tag.

"I used to act like a little kid. Sure, people always said I was mature for my age, but ever since my thirteenth birthday, it was as if every small detail counted. Everything had to be perfect, and everything needed to be serious. Life has no short-cuts, or as my dad would tell Andrew when he would play too many video-games: Life has no cheat codes to get you through the levels. I think he got part of that from experience and from his teacher. I can never tell which."

"Alice," Vlad started, catching the girl's attention by the seriousness of his tone. "Have you felt anything strange? Anything that you believe might have something to do with ghosts or your powers?"

"I didn't really think I had powers," Alice said truthfully. "Well, not all of them anyway. I think I can sense them though. In the lab this morning, I found the portal and my dad tried to stop me from opening it, but I did so anyway. A ghost came out. I don't know his name, but I think he's some sort of hunter. At first I thought it was just some weird coincidence, but it happened again when you came. The temperature seemed to drop, and I can see my breath. But my breath has a small tint of blue in it. It's..."

"A ghost sense," Vlad said, nodding slightly. "You can sense ghosts. It's one of the simplest traits of ghost powers. You can sense when another is near. Other powers consist of ray, beams, or in Phantom's case, a such power called a ghostly wail. There are many others, but they are much more complicated to understand."

"I don't think I have any of those except for that ghost sense thing," Alice replied. "Maybe I don't have all of them."

"Or maybe they are not fully developed yet," Vlad said. "It is a more reasonable answer, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah," Alice mumbled uncertainly. "But...what can we do about it?"

Vlad smirked as Alice turned to look at the little kids again. She said 'we'. She ahd already begun to trust him, according to plan. "My dear," he said. "I, like your grandparents, am an inventor. I never thought I'd come across you, but yet here I am. I have been working on an invention, a reconstruction really, to help make the process of getting used to your powers and developing them fully almost painless."

Alice looked at him. Was that why she'd suddenly gotten pain surging through her system the night before right before everything went blank? Because her ghost powers bubbled up to the surface? "And?' she asked. She didn't _fully _trust the man, but she knew he wasn't a threat. If he was, he was only a minor one.

"I can help you, if you could just trust me," Vlad said, putting on one of the most serious faces he could pull. Alice looked at him, scanning for any signs of misjudgment and deceit, but found none. She sighed.

"I guess I can trust you," she said. "But once you've misused my trust, it can't be regained. One lie is all it takes to make a liar.

_Then lies you shall not receive, _Vlad thought, watching the girl turn away and stand. He stood. _But half-truths and loop-holes are not lies. You have no idea what is coming, Daniel, you have no idea._

* * *

E/N: 

--Airamé Phantom


	19. According to Plan

A/N: So sorry you had to wait for so long!

* * *

"What is this place?" Alice asked, looking around the old lab. Metal tables aligned the sides of the rooms; a portal just like her dad had; many types of different weapons; and what seemed to be a giant screen computer. 

"My lab," Vlad said, coming up from behind her. He turned her gently towards the strange machine at one side.

"What's that?" Alice asked.

"The Ghost Assistant 1.0," Vlad said. There was such pride in his voice, Alice noticed. He must have worked hard on that thing. It looked similar to a type of capsule or escape pod, but it was vertical and had a glass-like opening surrounded by metal. If you were inside, she guessed, your feet would not be visible. It looked narrow too, but you could surely fit in there.

"What's it do?" she asked.

"In your case, it would send out small impulses of ectoplasmic energy, thus theoretically triggering your powers," Vlad explained. "It will not harm you however."

"Cool," she murmured, walking over to it and laying a hand on the thing. She was flashed with visions, a voice, a scream of pain, struggle. She quickly backed off, holding her hand. "Is it safe?" she asked then, alarmed. She hadn't seen much in her vision, just this machine and what looked like someone strapped inside, struggling to get out.

Vlad looked at her. She had seem intrigued at first, but now she looked a little cautious. "There are a few precautions we must take, but it is very much safe," he said, nodding.

"Good," Alice said, sighing slightly. She turned back to him. "What kind of precautions?"

"Just let me get my assistant in here, and I shall explain." Vlad walked over to the giant screen with the control panels at what looked like a keyboard mixed with other stuff. He pressed a green button to the side of the keyboard where a type of intercom was located. "Joseph," he said. "Please come down to the lab."

Alice froze. Joseph? Could it possibly be the same Joseph she knew? She waited for someone to answer Vlad.

"On my way!" the boy's voice rang. Alice's hands balled into fists as she heard the voice. Stupid, sly, smart alleck, little... "Is that Joseph Foley?" she nearly shouted.

Vlad looked at her and grinned. "Why yes it is," he said. "Have you two met?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we have," Alice said.

A door opening and closing and foot steps descending from the staircase sent Alice spinning around on her heels and glaring at the boy who had come down. "Oh boy," the boy whispered and tried to make a run for it back up the stairs.

"Come back here, Joseph!" Alice shouted and chased after him. For a second there was only a cry for help and pain, then Alice came back down the stairs, dragging Joseph down by the back of his shirt. "You're gonna explain yourself, shorty, right now," she instructed.

"Let me go!" Joseph shouted, trying to get free as they descended the last of the steps. Alice let him go alright, but as gently as he would have wished. Her eyes flared a very dark blue, almost the color of a sapphire. She swung him forward, Joseph sliding on the marble-like floor. He stopped sliding and looked up at the girl angrily. He didn't get up, only looked at her. "It wasn't my fault," he said.

"You left us there," Alice said. "To make things worst, you stole Jonathan's folder. I needed those articles and you knew it!"

"I didn't steal anything!" Joseph said.

"Then who did?" Alice asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Joseph questioned.

"You're a little know-it-all aren't you, you-"

"Enough," Vlad interrupted the fight calmly. "Stop acting like small children."

"She-" Joseph started, but Vlad stopped with a small wave of his hand. "Get up, Joseph," he instructed.

Joseph grumbled something beneath his breath and stood, steering clear of the steaming Alice. He walked over to Vlad. They exchanged a few quiet words that Alice couldn't hear. She sighed and, rolling her eyes, began to look around the lab. It looked very clean, unlike her father's. This place was obviously meant to be kept in good condition for some reason. But there were no ghosts out and about anymore, she knew, or else she'd have found out about ghost-hunting sooner. This was being used for something else.

"Here," a voice penetrated Alice's thoughts. Joseph stood there with a piece of clothing folded on his hands. He handed it to Alice. "Put this suit on," he instructed. "Over your clothes, whatever. We don't want the currents of ectoplasmic energy to hurt you. This will reduce any amount of shock to as little as a small sting."

Alice looked at him, but took the clothes. It was a black hazmat suit, she noticed, seeing as she recognized it as something her parents had put away into the shed before when they had begun to clean out the attic long before. Okay, so it wasn't an attic, it was called the OP Center, but she wasn't allowed up there for some reason. Though she did know her parents stored a lot of stuff up there they didn't want her to go snooping around in. Now she figured it was probably more ghost-hunting things.

Alice unfolded the suit and looked at it. It was plain black, no type of writing or anything, just black. "Hm," she mumbled.

"Also, you may want to put away any type of technology like a cell-phone," Joseph added.

"Okay, thanks," she mumbled.

"Whatever," he said and walked away towards a control panel on the side of the lab.

Alice took her cell phone out of her pocket, but before putting it down somewhere, she took the tiny charm hanging from it and put it deep in her pocket. She didn't know why, but she felt way more safe with it with her. Then he took the hazmat suit and put it on over her clothes. She zipped it up and wandered over to where Joseph had gone. "Now what?" she asked.

"Vlad, if you will?" Joseph said, completely engulfed in flipping a few switches on a separate control panel.

"Come with me, my dear," Vlad said and led Alice towards the Ghost Assistant. Vlad unlatched something on the side and the door to the escape pod-like machine opened. "Step inside, my dear," Vlad said.

"Uhm, okay," Alice mumbled and did so. Vlad buckled a small metal-like, cuff-like strap around either of her wrists and ankles, then closed the pod-door. Alice stood there, watching from the inside. Joseph was once again being serious, not a single smile flashed across his grave expression. She waited and watched as he told Vlad something. Vlad nodded, and Joseph pressed a green button on the control panel. Immediately, Alice could sense the ectoplasmic energy move around through the metal cuffs around her wrists and ankles.

At first, she felt nothing more than cold shock run through her body, no pain whatsoever. But as the cold spread to her lower body, a sudden shock emanated from where she'd put the tiny charm. She clenched her teeth and her hands turned to tigh fists. Also, without her consent, her body began to struggle against the growing shock. Her eyes squeezed shut. "Gah!" she finally spat out, a short-cut scream emptying out her throat. More struggled shouts slipped past her lips as the pain grew worst.

She couldn't see what was going on, only felt the pain and saw bright white as the shock continued. But Joseph and Vlad both watched as strange designs began to appear over her hazmat suit. It began from her waist, threeblue colored vine-like lines began to color her suit like designs adorning the frame of a painting. The first, thin, bluelineseemed to grow a bit wider and it made it's way around her waist before it swirled down her left leg. It disappeared after it made one circle around the top of her black boot.

The second, thinblue line moved in a similar patter, but instead of going around her left leg, it went around her right. It circled right around her waist and began it's descend down her leg, twirling still. It ended in a similar fashion as well: making a ring around the top of her right boot.

The third and final line was a dark shade of blue: sapphire. This line was a bit more thick than the other two. It circled, instead, around her stomach region and upwards under her arm before disappearing onto her back and peeking up again as it circled her neck, then stopped.

"Whoa," Joseph mused, looking in disbelief.

"Stop the machine now," Vlad urged. He was witnessing so many changes in Alice's appearance now. Her skin was more pale now. Some short locks of hair that had fallen onto her face and fell down to almost mouth-level began to become the same vivid blue of the lines on her clothes. What had happened that caused this transformation? "Joseph stop the machine."

Joseph slammed his hand down hard on the green button and quickly stood from the swivel chair he'd been sitting on. He ran to the Ghost Assistant and unlatched the door, swinging it open. Alice stood motionless, ready to collapse. Joseph got to work on the straps about her wrists and ankles and once he unstrapped the last one, Alice came hurtling forward. "Whoa!" Joseph exclaimed. "Watch it!"

"Oooh..." Alice moaned. She felt as if her legs were made of wet sand and would give way any moment now. She didn't have any energy whatsoever. Joseph tried his best to keep her up, holding her beneath the arms, but was losing strength. She was thirteen and he was only eleven, imagine those odds!

Alice forced her legs to keep her up, but her headache was making her dizzy. She leaned off Joseph, giving him a relieved look. She held her head, hand on either side. "Hey, Joseph," she said, her words slurred.

"What?" Joseph asked.

"I see...two of you," Alice replied.

"She's delusional," Joseph said.

Vlad nodded. "All part of the plan," Vlad mumbled and tossed Joseph what looked like a small bottle for pills, or some type of medication. Alice looked at Vlad.

"Oh, Vlad," she said. "Vladz." She made the word 'Vlads' sound like it had a 'z' in the end instead of an 's'. She laughed. "Are we having a party? There's enough people for that, you know." She began to count how many 'Josephs' there were. "Joseph, stand still, you're making me...dizzy."

"Alice, take this," Joseph said, handing her one pill. "It'll get rid of the dizziness."

Alice looked at his extended hand. She could see something white there, a pill no doubt. She reached for it, missed. She tried again and grabbed it. "Gotcha," she hissed triumphantly and popped it into her mouth. Joseph somehow got a glass of water from somewhere and handed it to her. She took a drink, held her head up and swallowed the pill. Then she just drank the rest of the water because she felt like it. She handed Joseph back the glass.

"Feel better yet?" he asked.

Alice was about to shake her head no, when a sudden calming sensation came over her body. Her hands fell limply at her side, and her eyes dropped slightly. "I feel...strange," she muttered, putting a hand to her forehead. Suddenly, a strange vivid blue light appeared around both feet. It looked at if she'd stepped onto a light. The blue, electric-light rings followed close to her body upwards, following every curve. Both thin rings formed into one as it traveled all the way up her body to her arms where it separated again into two. When both rings slipped away from her fingers, a breeze seemed to hit her hair because it flew up just barely, the blue fading from her hair into it's regular raven black color.

"Cool," Joseph whispered. Alice was left in her human form and clothes. But the charm that had once been in her pocket, had now changed into a strange blue crystal. All in all, it looked sort of like two rings , one a beautiful sapphire color with a ring of blackoutsideit, around the crystal. Alice began to speak to Joseph about something. Joseph had asked her a question, and she was answering him.

Vlad grinned as he looked at the crystal about Alice's neck, and at her semi-dazed expression. He didn't know where that crystal had come from, but it could not mean trouble. However, he was wondering about what had happened back there. The transformation and resumption of human form was strange, but understandable either way. Surely now the girl would be able to be manipulated easily. Her curiosity would be raised, and he could answer each question without much hesitation. She would believe everything he said.

Rightaccording to plan.

* * *

E/N: The vision Alice got is from a previous Danny Phantom episode. Let's see who can tell which episode it was... 

--Airamé Phantom


	20. Random Title

A/N: And the person who got the correct answer was...

...Phantomschica! Whoo! Yay you! And, by the way, everyone else got the correct answer as well! The next three runner-ups were: Lt. Commander Richie, dannyphantomfanaticandDxSshipper, and Fantomgirl 1 on 1! YAY! Anywho, on with the chapter!

* * *

"I don't understand what could have possibly caused that," Joseph was saying. 

"Don't ask me," Alice said groggily. "I'm smart but not that smart." Joseph looked at the pendant about her neck. It hadn't been there before. He pointed at it.

"That pendant, where-"

"Alice," Vlad cut in swiftly. "May I speak with you for a second?"

"Uhm, okay," Alice said warily. She walked over to Vlad. She felt way better than before, but was still a little shaky on her feet from the literal shock. Shaking her head and trying to walk straight, she approached Vlad. "What's up?"

"Do you feel any different, my dear?" Vlad asked. "Your powers should have become active now that they have been literally shocked out of their dormant-like state."

"I feel funny," Alice replied. "It's weird. Almost like when you get the shivers, or willies like some people call them? Or when static runs through your body and you shock someone. It's...hard to explain..."

Vlad nodded with some understanding. "Well, Alice, your powers may not exactly be under your complete control. They might become active during the most inconvenient times. You must try to learn to control them. Tell me, how are your grades in school?"

"Good," Alice said. "I'm not exactly the top student, but I'm getting there."

"Well done, and do you have much free-time on your hands?" Vlad asked then.

"It seems so," Alice said. She looked over her shoulder at Joseph. He was checking out the inside of the machine, probably trying to figure out what went wrong. He murmured something beneath his breath, the stepped inside the machine fully before climbing back out and running to get a screw-driver from the counter top.

"How would you feel if I helped you to control your powers?" Vlad said, snapping Alice out of her thoughts.

"That'd be great," Alice said. "The more help the merrier, I say. Hey, Vlad? What about my friends? Can I tell them about this?"

"By all means, you may tell anyone you want, Alice," Vlad said. Alice seemed to go into deep thinking at that. Could she tell her parents? No, that may not be a very good idea. She could already hear them talking about tests and scientists coming to see her. Not to mention the fact that she knows her grandparents were ghost-hunters scared her a bit. What if her dad decided to take up the sport and want to dissect her? She shivered at the thought. He wouldn't do that, but who's to say he won't mention something about it.

"I think I'll stick to secrecy," she muttered.

"I'm sure your friends will want to know," Vlad insisted. He would need a back-up plan should this plan fail. If he cannot manipulate the girl alone, then surely the other two would fall into his plot-line easily to keep the girl in check. As the saying goes: money talks. Alice looked at him and sighed.

"I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea. It's better than to let them think I'm running off somewhere to see someone," she murmured, crossing her arms. Only then did the trinket around her neck catch her attention. She slowly lowered her arms, then brought one hand up to hold up the crystal. It was a beautiful sapphire gem in the middle of a black and sapphire swirl. It wasn't a very large crystal, about the size of her finger tip, a little bigger maybe, but the whole design was pretty. The two rings outside the crystal were loose, so she could move them around as if a ring system around Saturn or Jupiter with separate rings. "Sapphire..." she whispered quietly.

Vlad watched her and she fiddled with the trinket and grinned. "Well, you best be going now," he said. "You're going to need your rest."

"Huh?" Alice looked up at him, eyes gleaming with both confusion and curiosity.

"Tomorrow, after school," Vlad said. "Go to the park. Either Joseph or me will be waiting."

"I'll what?" Joseph called, his voice sounding muffled. Alice turned towards the sound. Joseph was peeking out from the machine she'd stepped out of earlier, holding on to one of the straps in order to not fall. There was a screw driver in one hand and a couple of screws between his lips. The boy looked as if he was really into what he was doing, very focused.

"Though I doubt Joseph will be very much obliged to go," Vlad added quickly.

Joseph frowned and turned back to his work, disappearing once again into the machine. Alice smiled and turned back to Vlad. "Okay, well, how do I get back home then?" she asked.

"Take this," Vlad said, handing her a small bottle. It was about an inch high and half an inch in diameter. "Every morning take one. It should minimize the amount of times your ghost powers may go hay-wire. Also, this device may help you in getting from anywhere you are to my lab. It may come in handy for quick escapes." Vlad also handed her what looked like a small pencil-like device. It had a button right on the tip and was long enough for it to just disappear into her fist.

"Uhm, okay," she murmured. "But back to my question."

"Press the button," Vlad said. "It should get you back to the park area. Do not worry about anyone seeing you. There shouldn't be anyone there."

"Why not?"

"Trust me, my dear." Alice frowned, but nodded. She turned, but saw Joseph still gone.

"Okay then," she mumbled ad pressed the button. Before long, she'd vanished from sight, leaving a very Confused Joseph and satisfied Vlad behind.

"I don't get it. Nothing should have triggered that effect," Joseph said as he climbed out the machine. "I don't know what's wrong."

"Leave it alone, child. Everything _is _the way it is supposed to be," Vlad said. He grinned wickedly and turned to the screens he used to monitor most activity in the Fenton household. He turned on the screens and grinned as the image of Sam and Danny talking in the living room, obviously about something important. "_Exactly_ the way it's supposed to be."

* * *

Alice felt her body become dense and solid again as she appeared back in the park. Her body became visible and she almost fell as she opened her eyes. Catching her balance, she clenched her teeth. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, standing back up straight. She looked around the park, afraid someone had seen that. But just as Vlad had said there was no one in sight. "Strange," she mused to herself. She shrugged and ran off towards the exit. She needed to get home. How long had she been gone? She didn't know. Two hours tops. 

..._maybe_ more...

* * *

E/N: Okay! Wow! Sorry it took so long for me to up-date! But I think I finally got the plot perfectly planned out! (I'm a perfectionist, in case any of you haven't noticed!) Anywho, 'til next time!

--Airamé Phantom


	21. I Need To Talk To You!

A/N: Well, here's your next chapter! Sorry I haven't up-dated in a very long time! I was gonna up-date sooner than this, but my computer crashed and along with it went my music and a couple of files I needed... -sigh- at least this chapter was saved! Well, here goes!

* * *

Alice ran all the way to her house, hoping to get there soon. She'd left home around ten, right? If she'd been gone for only two hours, then it was around twelve right now. Maybe near one, but she couldn't know for sure. Well, better late than never right? 

_I seriously need to stop saying those stupid sayings in my head, _she thought bitterly and continued to run ahead. The streets were almost empty, a couple of people walking down and up the road with kids, other's with dogs and some alone. But Alice wasn't very aware of them. Her mind was racing with thoughts. Everything else was far from thought and conscious. But she was aware of the small pendant bouncing against her chest with each stride and aware of the small bottle of pills in her pocket making a small rattle noise every time she took another fast step. But what really got her was how Vlad knew she had ghost powers and why he would help her. He had said that he never thought expected to come across her powers, but he never said how he did exactly. And Joseph. How did he know him? Was there some tie she was missing?

Alice frowned, then began to slow down as she came to her street. Her building was coming up. But of course, it wasn't very hard to miss. There used to be a sign that said 'FentonWorks' there **_-_** she'd seen it in pictures of when her mom moved in with her dad **_-_** and there was an emergency OP center sitting on the roof. Why they called it an OP center she will never know.

She speed-walked to the door and then turned the door knob and walked inside. "Mom, dad, I'm**_-_**" she stopped in mid-sentence as she looked up.

Three adults sat on the couch. Two were her parents and the other was a very familiar face. "Tucker!" she exclaimed happily and ran to the dark-skinned man sitting there. She rushed over to the man despite her being tired.

"Hey," Tucker mumbled, standing as Alice came within hugging distance. They embraced each other for a second before they let go.

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked then, only now aware of her being short of breath. Tucker shrugged his shoulders. Alice hadn't seen him in a very long time. The last time he came to visit was her eighth birthday, then he just vanished as if he were never there. She some times had heard her parents talking to him on the phone, or about him in conversations. But otherwise there was no actual sighting of him.

"I was in a bit of a situation at home and decided to stop by. But what about you? Are you okay? Heard you hired Joseph for something," Tucker said, putting both hands on either shoulder.

"I'm just peachy," Alice replied.

"You've been gone for hours, I'm sure you are," Sam mumbled with a bit of a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"How long?" Alice asked then, eyes wide.

"'bout four hours, we've been a little worried," Sam replied.

"I'm sorry! Lost track of time!" Alice frowned.

"Your friends called," Danny added quickly. "Said they were coming over later."

"The Twins? Okay. Where's Andrew? I need to talk to him," she said.

"He's-" Danny started, but stopped at the sight of something. His brows furrowed and he slowly stood before walking over to Alice. The other two adults watched him with curiosity, Alice watched with some horror and apprehension. Danny stopped in front of the girl and took the pendant in his hand. "Where did you get this?" he asked softly, blue eyes suspicious and confused.

"Well..." Alice murmured, trying to think up the perfect excuse, taking a couple of steps back. She looked at anywhere but her father, whom was looking at her with a semi-glare. She was saved by the bell...literally. There was the sound of the doorbell and everyone looked up. Alice turned back to his father. "That must be the Twins! I'll get it!" She rushed for the door and opened it.

"Hey-" the Twins chorused but any other part of their greeting was cut off by Alice's grabbing each of their wrists and pulled them in. "Whoa!" they exclaimed as she began to pulled them up the stairs. They ran to keep up with her.

"I need to talk to you!" Alice explained. The three adults watched as the trio of friends vanished into the hall. Then listened as a door was closed behind them.

"That was suspicious," Tucker mumbled first, breaking the silence. He crossed his arms and was shaken back into reality only by Danny who had put a hand on his shoulder.

"There's something weird about that pendant," he said. "She didn't have it this morning."

"Think it was Vlad who gave it to her?" Sam asked then. She was still seated on the couch, watching her two best friends stand there.

"Could be, but there was also something weird about the energy in the room while she was down here. Her aura was different."

"Why could that be?" Tucker asked solemnly.

"I don't know," Danny sighed. "But we have to find out. My aura hasn't changed at all even with all the other powers I got. Alice's shouldn't be changing even if her powers have become active. It doesn't make sense."

"So what do we do?" Sam asked.

"Either ask Vlad or ask Joseph. One of them should know."

"But Joseph's missing," Tucker argued.

"He may be with Vlad," Danny proposed, looking at him. "We need to find him. I don't want to risk letting Vlad getting his hands on Alice's powers, or Alice altogether. There's no way I'm going to allow that."

"There's way **_we_** are going to allow that," Sam corrected swiftly. "She's my daughter too."

"And I'm like an uncle," Tucker added.

"Plus we know just about everything there is to know about these ghosts," Sam added. "We could ask around the Ghost Zone to see if anyone has any idea what's going on. You know how Vlad likes to hire them to do his dirty work."

"True..." Danny said. "But Vlad also knows us and how we work. He's probably just guessing at what we're gonna do next, but I have a feeling he's guessing correctly."

* * *

A screen showed the trio of adults in the comfort of Daniel's living room. All the way from Madison, Wisconsin, a couple of fiends were taking a break from everything, watching the happenings.

"But I have a feeling he's guessing correctly," Danny's voice sounds. Vlad grins.

Joseph looks at the old man and then back at the scene. "Wonder how my dad got out of my room. It was full proof," he mumbled as he chewed on a bite of sandwich. Him and Vlad are watching the screen in hopes of learning something new. They know that Danny's gonna do everything in his power to keep Vlad out of Alice's life, but of course Joseph had a free pass because of Tucker. Though the adult knows he's not exactly one of the good-guys, Joseph is his son after all.

"He must have found a way," Vlad answered. Vlad turned away from the screen and looked around his lab. Then something caught his eye. It was a small, silver-colored item that looked a lot like a cell-phone. The man smirked. "Oh my," he mumbled. "Alice's cell-phone. I must return it as soon as possible." Joseph turns towards the device and then looks at Vlad.

"You're implying something, aren't you?" he asks quietly. Vlad does not answer, only broadens his smirk.

* * *

E/N: Heheheheheeh, I think I know where I'm going. The plot will be twisty, like I said, but no worries! It won't be THAT twisty!

--Airamé Phantom


	22. Return of the Nanobots!

A/N: haha! An up-date! Aren't you all happy? Man, I hope I still got some readers out there!

* * *

Alice bolted the door behind her as she pushed the Twins inside. She turned back to them and watched as incredulous looks were  
plastered onto their faces. They shared a glance, and Jeanette stepped forward. "Alice?" she asked quietly. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine," Alice replied, finally catching her breath. "But I really need to tell you guys something extremely important."

"What would that be?" Jonathan piped up.

Alice side-smirked at his reaction. "Well, it's a little bit far-fetched, but I'm gonna need you guys to keep it to yourselves and tell no one about what I'm about to say! It's a secret, just between me and you guys, okay?"

"Okay, we get it," Jeanette said, smiling now. Maybe this visit wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Yeah! What's the big mystery?" Jonathan asked. Only now did Alice take the time to realize that both Twins looked like they hadn't gotten much sleep. Jeanette's attire looked as if it was hastily put on, her usually perfect black skirt a bit wrinkled on the right. Not to mention it looked like she hadn't spent enough time on her hair, it thrown into a simple pony-tail. Jonathan just looked a bit less energetic than usual. And it was always apparent when he didn't get enough sleep because his eyes always looked tired and his shoulders were usually a bit slumped. But Alice made no comment on her conclusion and walked over to her bed.

"You guys better sit down for this," she said, taking a seat onto her bed and scooting over towards the center where she crossed her legs. The Twins walked over and Jeanette took a seat on the right edge whereas Jonathan took a seat towards the left.

"I have a feeling this'll be pretty interesting," Jonathan remarked.

"Shhh!" Jeanette snapped. Jonathan shifted his glance from his sister towards Alice and grinned sheepishly. Alice smiled and took a deep breath.

"Okay, like I said, this may sound a bit far-fetched at first, but I assure, I totally know what I'm talking about," Alice started.

"All right! Now what's the story?" Jonathan asked, putting on his reporter-like charm.

Alice hesitated, but began the story. "The other day, when we were at the school, remember what happened?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't remember a thing. All the memory I had left are a couple of strange visions that I have no clue where they came from. And, also, I don't exactly know how I ended up in my bed the next morning."

Jeanette and Jonathan shared a glance, but looked back at Alice uncertainly.

"My dad, when I asked him in the morning said that he didn't recall me leaving my room at all. Do you guys know what happened?" she asked.

"Well..." Jeanette started.

"We don't know what you're talking about. You left for home soon after we found out the binder was missing," Jonathan said quickly.

Jeanette looked at her brother and Jonathan shot her look. She frowned and nodded towards Alice, whom was having trouble figuring out what was going on. What's with the exchanging of glances?

"He's right," Jeanette said quietly. "You walked home afterwards. You must have just knotted off or something and that's why you can't remember anything."

"Exactly. It seemed like you were a bit out of it anyway," Jonathan agreed.

"If you guys say so..." Alice mumbled uncertainly.

"We do," they chorused, then glared at each other. Alice smiled at that. Ah, sweet normalcy. It was good to have the Twins back to normal.

"But back to my main point," Alice said, cutting their glaring contest short. She leaned forward and the Twins closed in too as Alice began to whisper.

* * *

"Joseph, you must go back," Vlad repeated. They were sitting in his lab talking. They'd been talking a lot actually.

"Are you kidding me? My dad won't be exactly Mr. Nice Guy when we get there!" Joseph disagreed. He crossed his arms. In one of his hands was a small screw-driver, in the other what looked like a cell phone battery.

"It is necessary for my plan to prevail," Vlad said calmly. "You must face your father, lead him into the wrong direction. Make it seem like you were a victim. Then in the end, betray them."

Joseph's teeth clenched and his eyes widened in horror. "You are one seriously crazed up fruit loop..." he mumbled quietly.

"Now, Joseph, I may a crazed up fruit loop, but you are beneath my control now. And you will do as I say!" Vlad said.

"You have no control over me," Joseph disagreed. "You can't do anything to me! I can easily quit and-"

"And go help Alice and the rest?" Vlad mocked him. He laughed evilly and smiled wickedly. "But you will not," he objected. He stood from his chair and took a couple of steps forward. "Will you?" he asked.

"Don't be so sure," Joseph said.

Vlad grinned. "Believe it or not, boy, I saw this coming," Vlad said.

"Oh?" Joseph asked, taking a step backward, afraid the old-aged man would hurt him. He could easily escape him, but even he wasn't above hurting someone who isn't in his best condition. He wouldn't fight and old man like Vlad even if he knew the guy had supernatural powers.

"Of course," Vlad responded, hiding something behind his back that sent chills down Joseph's spine. "An old trick I used back when young Daniel was only a few years older than you are now." Vlad reveal a black and red remote with a red button on it.

"What's that gonna do?" Joseph asked.

"They are called blood stream nano-bots, and they are running through your system as we speak," Vlad explained.

Joseph smiled weakly. "You're not serious right? What are blood stream nano-bots gonna prove?"

"That if you don't do as I say, then you will be...how do the kids say it? Bread?" Vlad asked, backing off a step and pondering.

"Actually, it's toast," Joseph corrected.

"Oh? Well, that can't be right..." Vlad said. Joseph cleared his throat and after getting Vlad's attention, pointed at the control in his hands. "Oh, right, where was I? Ah yes! If you do not do as I say, you'll be doomed."

Joseph's eyes widened and he sucked in a large breath.

That's not good!

* * *

E/N: Ah, the return of the nano-bots. -evil grin-

--Airamé Phantom


	23. Videos and Stereos

A/N: This Chapter is for Evelyn (and my fellow reviewers) because I'm broke and can't get her anything for Christmas. Expect up-dated for: Just Forget Them, Dear Ms. Trudy, and a couple others as well. :D

* * *

"You're not really serious, are you?" Jeanette asked behind her hand as Alice finished telling the story. Said girl nodded slowly, her eyes shimmering. "But how?" Jeanette continued. "How did it happen?" 

"I asked my dad," Alice admitted. "Not directly of course, pretended I had a sudden interest. But he only told me it could have happened in two ways: A) you're born with them, or B) you're involved in some sort of accident that gets...I think it was ectoplasm to get into you. That's all he said."

"I don't think you've been in any accidents," Jonathan mused. He'd been quiet through most of the story, so it was alarming to hear his voice just now. Alice and Jeanette turned to him.

"So he talks," his sister mumbled, crossing her arms and looked pointedly at him. What was he thinking? Jonathan glared at her for a second, then turned back to Alice.

"And being born with powers may not be the answer either unless...well..." he hesitated. Maybe what he had to say wasn't the best answer to the mystery.

"Well what?" Alice asked, also poiitedly, the boy.

"You know how in the seventh grade we learned about..._stuff _and the whole dominant and recessive alleles and se-"

"Ah, ha ah!" Alice shouted, putting her arms up and crossing them in the air in front of her. "Okay! We don't need to ehar about that again!"

Jeanette smirked, but quickly wiped it off. "And I don't think either of your parents are ghosts," she said, putting what Jonathan was trying to say in more...not bad-thought-giving words. Alice thought about that one.

"At least I hope not," she said then, grinning a bit sheepishly. She _really_ hoped not. That'd be kind of weird.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs... 

"So, here's what we're gonna do," Danny said. They'd been talking about this for who knows how long, and still they had yet to fill in some of the blanks. "If and when Joseph comes back, Tucker, you get on his case pronto."

"I don't know guys..." Tucker mumbled, looking at them. He was sitting down on the couch opposite the married couple, leaning forward on his knees, a hand on his chin. "I don't like this one bit. It makes me feel so...anxious."

"You're part of the parental unit, now Tuck," Sam said. "Joseph's you're son. He has to do what you tell him to."

"But it's just that that worries me," Tucker admitted. "He's hard-headed, like his old man. I don't think that'll be too easy."

"And I'm sure he's a good-guy too, like his old man," Danny assured. "We've been through this many tiems before, Tuck, when we were younger. We made it through and here we are: kids of our own. We can do this just as we did back then. Vlad hasn't changed a bit, I'll tell you that much. He's still the insane villain we've faced in our past."

"And like the villain of our past, hell be easy to beat," Sam agreed.

But even all that positive talk couldn't get the fear from Tucker's eyes to leave. Danny knew what he was feeling and he knew why. Vlad was a bad guy as old as he may be. And Joseph's in the line of fire, as is Alice, his own daughter. He sighed, and leaned forward to give Tucker's shoulder a slight squeeze. "Come on, Tuck," he said. "For old time's sake. Joseph's gonna be fine. I doubt Vlad, as twisted as he maybe, will do anything to harm the little guy."

"And if he does, we'll be there to help you kick his butt," Sam added. Tucker smiled.

"Thanks guys," he said.

"Any time," Danny said with a sigh, and leaned back in the couch. "Report all information to us as soon as you get it, and we'll work our way up form there."

Then, as if on cue, a trio of teens bounded down the stairs. "Okay, so we meet tomorrow," Alice said. "Same place as always." She, Jeanette and Jonathan came down the stairs, for once not rushing.

"And while you tow chat, I'll study for the test we got in chemistry," Jonathan said, jumping over the last four steps of the stairs.

"You're kidding me!" Alice exclaimed.

"Not at all," Jeanette replied. The grown-ups listened as the the trio of friends exchanged information.

"Fine, change of plans, I'll meet you guys in the library. Maybe I'll get in some studying," Alice said now, seemingly still pondering how she'd forgotten about the test.

"Something wrong, Al?" Danny asked. Alice looked up.

"Huh?" she asked. Then she smiled and brought her hands up. "Oh, nothing at all, just a slip-up." She turned to her friends, then opened the door. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Affirmative," said Jonathan.

"Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton," Jeanette said and waved.

"Good bye Mr. Foley," Jonathan added. Then both teens chorused. "See ya, Alice."

"Bye guys," she said in return as the grown-ups waved. The door closed and Alice started up the steps again without uttering a syllable.

"I guess it's about time I take my leave too," Tucker said as the girl disappeared up stairs, and stood up. Sam and Danny stood as well.

"Aah, okay then." He shook hands with Tuck, then walked him to the door.

"Bye, Tuck," Sam called. Tucker waved, then looked at Danny as he opened the door.

"Don't forget to bring the video tomorrow. I need it by twelve, plus we sitll gotta edit," he said, pointing.

"Don't worry, I got in the safest place I can away from anyone who could possibly ruin it," Danny said, smiling.

"You'd better," Tucker said. "See you."

"Bye."

_Tump._

"Video?" Sam asked. Danny shrugged one shoulder and sat down next to her on the sofa, putting an arm around her shoulders and flipping on the TV.

"Not important," he replied.

* * *

E/N: Hmm...what's Airamé planning with the video? Wait and find out in the next chapter of: Sweet Mother of Mutton! I Have Ghost-Powers! 

--Airamé Phantom


End file.
